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An account exists so there is something for a future feature to belong to. Nothing about reading, archiving or searching the site changes when you sign in.
Google is the only method. There is no password to choose, forget or leak, and Google hands this site nothing beyond what it already knows — an id it assigned once, a name, a picture, and an address it has verified. Your account here is keyed on the id, not the address, so changing your Google address later does not change who you are.