This PHP code https://github.com/osteele/wideurl.com/blob/master/wideurl.p... turns e.g. http://osteele.com/archives/2006/04/wideurl into `http://w-i-d-e-u-r-l.com/aitch-tee-tee-pea-colon-double-slash-oh-ess-tee-double-ee-ell-ee-dot-see-oh-em-slash-aye-are-see-aitch-eye-vee-ee-ess-slash-two-double-zero-six-slash-zero-four-slash-doubleyou-eye-dee-ee-you-are-ell`.
It was loosely inspired by a BBC broadcast I heard during the very early days of the web. The announcer said something like “If you would like to learn more about this radio program, enter the following into your browser: aitch aitch tee pea colon forwards-slash forwards-slash bee bee see period see oh em forwards-slash — oh, never mind.”
My hosting provider eventually took it down, because URL redirectors can be used for phishing.