Rolling Stone magazine is no longer going to be awkwardly large. Starting with the October 30 issue due out this week, the magazine will be adopting the standard magazine format. While they cite reduced production costs as one of the reasons for the change, they also announced they will be spending more on production by including more shiny pages on thick glossy paper (in an effort to blind readers and distract them from what passes for music journalism over there). Way to chip in during tough economic times, Rolling Stone. I'm sure your shiny pages won't cost more money for consumers.

The current US election thus far has been good for sales of Rolling Stone, as they grow increasingly less music-focused. They will launch their new format with Democratic Candidate and obvious next President, Barack Obama's face on the cover.

"Like the man we are featuring on the cover for the third time in seven months, we embrace the idea of change," editor Jann S. Wenner wrote in the new issue. "Not change for the sake of change, but change as evolution and growth and renewal, change as the kind of cultural renaissance that gave birth to Rolling Stone more than four decades ago."

Cultural renaissance?

They are changing the paper size and making it shiny. Now that's change we can believe in!