title: How do I create character arrays in numpy?
body: <p>Say I have the following array:</p>
  
  <pre><code>import numpy as np
  a = ['hello','snake','plate']
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I want this to turn into a numpy array <code>b</code> so that:</p>
  
  <pre><code>b[0,0] = 'h'
  b[0,1] = 'e'
  b[0,2] = 'l'
  b[1,0] = 's'
  ...
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I want the standard numpy tricks to work, like broadcasting, comparison, etc.</p>
  
  <p>How is it done?  And where is this in the numpy documentation?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks!</p>
  
  <p>Uri</p>