In spite of Wednesday’s SOPA/PIPA-inspired blackout, several hundred people still visited Cyclelicious. Many of you all searched for pictures of “JNCO Baggy Pants”

According to the Motion Picture Association of America in their statement about the SOPA blackout, my “abusive” and “dangerous” participation in this blackout to “further [my] corporate interests” makes you my “corporate pawns.” Bwah hah hah hah! (The MPAA represents the interests of the American motion picture, home video and television industries. They want laws like SOPA / PIPA to fend off the existential threat posted by international Internet piracy).

I could pretend to be part of a larger cause in joining Wikimedia, WIRED Magazine, Reddit and others in blacking out my site on January 18, but the secret reality is probably that I needed a break from blogging. In case you missed it, here’s what this site looked like on SOPA-blackout day.

Bike Portland joined the blackout with this stark message.

Biking Bis redirected to a site with more information about SOPA / PIPA.

Other bicycling bloggers took less drastic steps to get the message across that SOPA / PIPA are unnecessarily draconian. Gary Kavanaugh posted a symbolic content-free article, while John Prolly gave his two cents on the issue.

Bike Snob NYC and Fat Cyclist, predictably, used humor (visual and textual) to get the message across.

I don’t know how much impact a handful of niche blogs with a daily audience numbering in the several thousands might have, but that combined with intense lobbying from other voices led a few Senators to change course and reverse their support for SOPA. Some claimed they were surprised by the vehement online protestations. I’m a little astonished they were so unaware of the private opposition to SOPA / PIPA.

We’ve managed to sway the votes of a handful of Senators, my evil minions. Next, we’ll take over the world with baggy bicycle jeans!