Shock's defining motif is photos that allegedly "will blow your eyes out of their sockets." Here's the thing, though: While some of the depictions might offend people of delicate sensibilities, most will not. And nothing between the covers of the October issue will make the likely audience of 20-something males, numbed by years of BIZARRE and OBSCENE crap on the Internet, so much as bat an eyelid.

Happily, I enjoy a life outside work so bustling that I have no need for a publication that advises me on weekend activities. When the laptop screen goes down and the Saturday sun comes up, you might find me napping, watching sports on TV, or napping while watching sports on TV. Alas, not everybody has the energy to maintain this manic pace. And so it is that publications like weekend worm their way into our mailboxes to pick up the slack.

Unlike its fashion sisterhood at Conde Nast, (the latest Vogue actually weighs in at 4 pounds) the September issue of House & Garden is entirely portable, no door stopper. Still, it's thicker than usual, and boasts a purple and gold cover promoting ''Exotic Luxury and Global Style.''

Here's the thing: the revamped WWE Magazineactually works. I can't remember how it read in its former incarnation, but I doubt it approached the new product's topnotch production values and creative topical mix. Like the pastime of wrestling itself, the mag concentrates as much on personality as on athleticism. In doing so, it breathes life into a stale genre

Why isn't there a year-round publication devoted exclusively to fantasy sports? You'd think, given the gobs of time and cash invested by millions of drooling halftards (raising hand proudly) in any number of fantasy-related endeavors, that few other publishing concepts would be an easier sell.

If you want to prove something works, spawn it. And if the mothership is Nickelodeon, sit back and enjoy the ride. First came the network--and lovers of Sponge Bob are forever grateful. Then the kids' magazines--Nickelodeon and Nick. Jr. Andbuilding on brand power, Nick Jr Family Magazine.

My romp through the summer issue of Art & Antiques is destined to be yet another in the ongoing series of smart-guy-affects-lowbrow-facade-for-the-sake-of-"humor" stories that have appeared in this space. Let me commence, then, with a hearty "duhhhh" and a curt declaration that the newly redesigned Art & Antiques sure is purty.

The cover of the August issue of Babytalk is "controversial," because it "depicts" a "child" "suckling" upon a "breast," albeit one that appears to be areola-free. I'll leave the debate over the cover's propriety to the puritans. Me, I take more issue with the fact that Babytalk lacks zip from both a design and content perspective.

Chin is Spanish for "a little bit." Its laudable editorial mission is to document Latin American lifestyle, bringing "neglected elements of popular culture from the fringe to the mainstream." I'm down, but please stop using phrases like "fusing arts, fashion, politics, language and intangible sensibilities." I don't know what "intangible sensibilities" are, but I'm pretty sure it's not a reading list from Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Larry live-blogs his way through "boring nature gunk, presented boringly."