I’ve been seeing reports around the internet that a time-traveling woman has been caught in a Charlie Chaplin film using a cell phone.
I don’t think so.
I’m not saying it’s not possible, and I will admit that, upon review, it DOES look like a woman (or a man in a woman’s coat and hat) talking on a cell phone. However, I just think it’s a case of temporal provincialism on the part of modern viewers combined with whimsy.
We all have cell phones, so when we see someone with mannerisms that we associate with cell phone usage, we might guess cell phones. However, guessing cell phones in 1923 is a lot like an African coming to America and, even being aware of American fauna, guessing zebras when he hears thundering hooves.
The cell phone crowd is guessing zebras in this movie clip. Think horses, people; be aware of your subject’s surroundings.
This Time article actually does a better job than much of the internet at looking at more likely explanations. http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/28/time-traveler-caught-on-film-were-skeptical/
Before declaring this to be a time traveler, I’d like a few more data points to base such a declaration on.
The White Oak Observer 