Recent Articles

arts 03.22.10 Explaining My Obsession with Cover Songs on YouTube

Nick Martens has watched hundreds — maybe even thousands — of cover songs on YouTube. Here’s what he learned.
opinion 03.19.10 The Awful Elements of English

As an English teacher in Germany, Locke McKenzie has all sorts of bones to pick with our language.
arts 03.17.10 The Comment-Box Poets of The New York Times

There’s poetry in everything, including the user comments of NYTimes.com’s most popular blogs. Darryl Campbell investigates the web’s unlikely poetry community.
arts 03.15.10 Down the Inrun: The Last Outpost of High School Ski Jumping in America

Josh Fischel profiles the country’s only high school ski jumping league.
humor 03.12.10 Protect Yourself from Scammers

Everywhere you turn, there are people trying to take advantage of you. Ralph Gamelli teaches you how to deal with scammers, con artists, and worse. Ralph Gamelli teaches you how to stop being a victim.
arts 03.10.10 We Know Everything: An Interview with OkTrends

Kevin Nguyen talks to OkCupid CEO Sam Yagan about the company’s stats blog, OkTrends.
squid 03.10.10 Staff List: Final Four

Inspired by the bracketology of March Madness the Bureau Staff picks the winners for the arguments that matter most.
squid 03.10.10 Editor’s Note: Redesigned

Some notes on our spiffy new site and a special thanks to the people who made it possible.
humor 02.26.10 The Hero

Sam Burnett is pretty certain the protagonist is dead. I mean, there’s no way the hero could overcome impossible odds and triumph in the end, right?
personal 02.22.10 The Grotesque Gastronomy of Paula Deen: A Dinner Party

Kevin Nguyen and friends throw a Paula Deen-themed dinner. The trauma is carefully documented here, complete with butter and cheese counters.
humor 02.19.10 Scenes from Our Pre-Apocalyptic Future

Everyone knows the world will end soon; we’re just waiting to see how it happens. Nick Martens peers into his crystal ball and sees some close calls.
arts 02.17.10 Make Things Sound Amazing: Interviews with DAEDELUS and Nosaj Thing

Greg Merrell speaks with the co-headlining electronic artists about their work and influences.

Mission Statement

We don’t write perfectly, but we do respect writing.

We believe in publishing good ideas and polished prose. We edit everything. We argue about every inch of our site because we care about details. We cherish and shamelessly emulate those who do it better than us.

We want, more than anything, to improve. That’s what The Bygone Bureau is about. If you see something that needs fixing, tell us. If you think you can do better, or just want to get better yourself, we’re all ears.

We expect quality from ourselves and everyone we work with, and we hope you expect that from us too.

We’re not suggesting anything groundbreaking, but we know how often smart voices get lost in the overwhelming expanse of the web. So we invited some of them here to be found. If you’ve got something to say and think it matters to say it well, you’re in the right place.

Welcome.