Phonetic Translator
Many times I need to give people exact spellings of text, such as complex passwords, over the phone. I don’t have the NATO phonetic alphabet memorized, so I thought it’d be great if I have a utility to help me.
For example, if the text I wanted to spell out was “My$up3RP@ssword,” I would read this as “capital mike, yankee, dollar sign, uniform, papa, three, capital romeo, capital pap, at sign, sierra, sierra, whiskey, oscar, romeo, delta.”
Doing that all in your head (at least for me) is exhausting! A program would be much more effective!

I ended up writing a program that does just this with minimal effort. You can install it through a ClickOnce deployment here: http://www.visionarytech.net/software/phonetic/
1 commentStephen Sondheim Visits Seattle
I’m so excited – Stephen Sondheim (my favorite musical theatre composer/lyricist) is coming to Benaroya Hall on October 26th! I’ve been debating to get tickets, but decided to go ahead and get them.
A Life in the Theater: An Onstage Conversation with Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich
At 79, Sondheim has spent more than 50 years in professional musical theater. He’s won 7 Tonys, multiple Grammy Awards, and in 1985 his Sunday in the Park with George won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. (The Pulitzer was shared with James Lapine, who wrote the book for the musical.) He’s also worked in film and wrote the score to Warren Beatty’s 1981 movie Reds. And having collaborated as a young man with such titans of the American musical theater as songwriter Jule Stein and composer-director Leonard Bernstein, Sondheim is a living link to the mid-20th-century artists who made the musical theater one of America’s great art forms.
Frank Rich is The New York Times columnist who writes a 1,500-word essay every Sunday in the opinion section. In his column Rich, whose political bent is unabashedly progressive, skewers captains of industry, the media, cultural watchdogs, religiosity, and politicians of all stripes. But before Rich became an essayist on the “intersection of culture and news,” as The New York Times describes his current job, he was for many years the paper’s chief drama critic.
And that’s the connection that makes an evening of Sondheim and Rich so engaging. The two men took A Life in the Theater on the road last year and it earned rave reviews. Rich asks questions and Sondheim answers them, offering up stories and anecdotes from his decades in musical theater. (It’s probably no surprise that Sondheim is funny and has an actor’s excellent timing.) Having worked with everyone from actor Zero Mostel and choreographer Jerome Robbins to actress Ethel Merman and director Harold Prince, Sondheim’s stories are fascinating glimpses at the inner workings of Broadway.
2 commentsChangMook Sohn for Washington State Treasurer
ChangMook Sohn is recognized as the top expert on Washington State’s financial health. ChangMook Sohn’s knowledge comes from real-world experience. Help Elect ChangMook Sohn for Washington State Treasurer.
4 commentsBerry Vinaigrette Dressing
I was making a salad for lunch today and threw together a salad dressing. I wanted something tangy and lowfat and put this together. I didn’t measure the ingredients, so this is approximate. It tasted really good and is super simple, so I thought I would share:
- 1 heaping tbsp of fruit spread (I used a raspberry, blueberry & boysenberry combo with chunks of berries!)
- Fresh juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 1-2 tbsp)
- 2 Dashes of cayenne pepper
- 1 Dash of Olive Oil (about 1/2 tsp)
- 2 Dashes of Balsamic Vingar (about 2 tsp)
Take the fruit spread and mix it up in a small bowl, breaking up the jelly. Slowly stir in the olive oil. Add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar to mix and stir together. Finally add a couple shakes of cayenne pepper to taste.
Pour over your salad and enjoy!
1 commentHoliday Gift
I just received a holiday gift from my company and because it just looked so nice, I wanted to share a picture of it.![]()
Inside, the gift contained chocolate covered almonds, English butter toffee, 5-alarm peanuts, peppermint bark (peppermint in white chocolate), fancy cashews (perfect for warming up), chocolate covered raisins, and pecan truffles.