Chaplin's Time Traveler

[Beaver]

Interesting!

 

[Chaplin]

That is the strangest thing I've ever seen. Were there anything like walkie talkies back then? I didn't think they were in use until WWII.

 

[Pariah]

weird!

 

[Pariah]

Also, makes you wonder who he/she was talking to.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Western Electric Model 34A "Audiphone" Carbon Hearing Aid
The Western Electric 34A carbon hearing aid was manufactured by the Western Electric Company in 1925. Western Electric marketed these early hearing aids under the "Audiphone" trade name.

It was one of the few 1-piece carbon hearing aids of the time. The unit measured 7¾" by 4" by 1½" and weighed just under 2 lbs. when fitted with batteries.
The Audiphone consists of a carbon microphone (top left) inside a metal case also holding three "D" size 1½ volt batteries (bottom half of case).

The Audiphone used a Western Electric 390-A carbon microphone. This microphone was different from other hearing aid microphones of the day in that carbon granules were used rather than the carbon block and carbon balls.

http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/gallery/Carbon/WesternElectric/info/westelect34a.htm

 

[Chaplin]

She wasn't holding a 7 3/4" unit to her ear. That thing couldn't have been more than 5 inches long, tops.

 

[devilalum]

There were no cell towers, a cell phone would be a paperweight in that era.

Who would she/he/it be talking to?

 

[Pariah]

Presumably, if this person knows how to travel through time, that device might also be beyond our current tech and not need cell towers (or at least, temporally local towers).

But, the reality of the situation is that while it looks like a cell phone to us because it's so commonplace, it's probably a much simpler explaination.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Creepy...

However, my first thought was "Who could she be talking too? There were no cell towers or service in 1928." My next thought was that it's a marketing stunt to pump up sales of the DVD collection.

If it's legit, and that's a really big "if", then my money would be on a carbon amplification hearing aid available in the '20's.

Here's a version of a hearing aid marketed in 1924 by Siemens. From their promotional photo it looks small enough to pass for a modern cellphone.

 

[Chaplin]

Creepy...

However, my first thought was "Who could she be talking too? There were no cell towers or service in 1928." My next thought was that it's a marketing stunt to pump up sales of the DVD collection.

If it's legit, and that's a really big "if", then my money would be on a carbon amplification hearing aid available in the '20's.

Here's a version of a hearing aid marketed in 1924 by Siemens. From their promotional photo it looks small enough to pass for a modern cellphone.

I think you got it. That looks like it could be it. Only thing that is strange then is that she is talking on it. But she could just be a lunatic, so...

 

[Mulli]

That guy needs to talk faster. I was barely interested anymore after the nearly 3 minutes introduction. ZZZzzz.

 

[Pariah]

she is talking on it.

Or talking to someone off-camera?

 

[Chaplin]

Or talking to someone off-camera?

Could be, but she's far enough away from the camera and basically not paying attention to anything external that it's hard to tell.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

But she could just be a lunatic, so...

I get a lot of people (at least 3 times a week) that loiter in front of my office talking to themselves, arguing with no one, or engaged in a philosophical debate with the ghost of Sigmund Freud...or maybe they're just on their bluetooths...hard to say.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Or talking to someone off-camera?

I dunno, I watched it a few times at full speed, and a few more at the slow-mo speed close up, and I can't conclusively say that she is talking.

She's reacting favorably to something, but I don't see her lips move.

Food for thought.

 

[Gaddabout]

I know one thing for sure: He's not an AT&T customer.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Ahh... To be back in Belfast at the Duke of York having a pint of Guinness with the lads, wondering what we could do to have a bit of a laugh...

 

[devilalum]

Could it be an insane person walking around talking into any one of a million things the same size and shape as a cell phone?

Nah, that could never happen in Hollyweird. I don't think I've ever seen anybody walking around Hollywood talking to their self.

 

[Covert Rain]

I know one thing for sure: He's not an AT&T customer.