Does Linn's Stamp News Print Publication Still Exist? Is It Worth Bothering To Read?

https://goscf.com/t/83208&whichpage=1 discussed threatened changes to Linn's back in February and March 2023.

So during some extended period where I did not make any changes to my subscription, nor did I register my email with Linn's prior to nor after that date, I have no recall of receiving a print copy of Linn's though my subscription was paid in advance for years.

So, I will call Linn's to see what they did without my permission. That said:

Is Linn's Stamp News even relevant to the hobby any more? I have not missed it. If I can only buy e-issues, is there a way to get them for free in some aftermarket pirate sight on the web? I can justify paying for a printed on paper copy but I do not think any business publication is worth dollar one on the internet. The news they publish can be found somewhere else if one searches, especially if looking where US copyrights do not carry legal weight.

So I will call on Monday to see what Linn's did without my permission but welcome comments here as to if Linn's is relevant any longer.

As an aside, I never read my Linn's at home, it travels with me to read away from home.

I have a smart phone but for security reasons, I have not and will not link it to the internet or any of the laptop and desktop computers I use in my home. It is for phone calls and texting only. Thus I will not read Linn's at home on my computer and the "on a phone app reader" from Linn's is useless.

[Having been a victim of theft of information from third party information storage (yahoo, Wells Fargo, Credit Reporting Firms and the like), I am limiting my further exposure but greatly limiting any digital contact. Until the USA allows protection of communication content by deep encryption is allowed, a reasonable security level does not exist. Now I rather have my information secured and if that means Law Enforcement cannot have a back door key, so be it. I rather be secure than worry about Law Enforcement's ability to invade a person's information without with out a subpoena. If we are not as a government going after low social performing people for theft and other crimes, the same deference for smart people using the internet should apply in my opinion for equity and fairness. As a victim of both groups, I got no protection nor justice in either case. from law enforcement nor the courts.]

Edited for better title and spelling "Owrth" as intended, worth.

Given your victimization through data breaches, it's a bit surprising you'd sign up for a pirate site to read Linn's.

Will not use my computer or ISP. Also no need for an unlawful pirate site just foreign sites which do not recognize a US copyright. US trademarks are so limited to only the USA territories violations, nothing abroad per a SCOTUS Opinion Released 6-29-2023 [Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic Int'l, Inc., No. 21-1043].

Edit: I gather reading Linn's is less important than taking a swipe at me from you perspective. Well that is the first opinion I received....Any more?

I liked the Lynn's from years ago when it was a hard copy sent to you. I have not tryed the new e-copy. What I have seen of it. It will not compare to the Lynn's of the past.

I subscribe to Linn's and Scott Stamp Monthly but the value of the weekly is not significant. It is a quick read. I do not purchase anything through the ads and do not care about new issue information, latest Scott numbers, or what I call oddity articles. The cost of the digital only is under $50 so not a great expense compared to everything else/

As of late the Scott Monthly has had articles that more matched my interest since they have more non=-US coverage/

Al

I reference Linn's a lot but mostly access the info from older issues that are readily available through a Google search. There is really nothing that I ever need from Linn's immediately so no need to subscribe. There is just so much info available for free on the internet that I don't see much value in the Linn's model anymore.

You can have a digital only or a print + digital subscription and the prices are very reasonable. I think there is good content in Linn's and I also think it is important to support print journalism by purchasing subscriptions if you can. I realize all of these types of things may end up going the way of the dodo bird, but that will be a loss in my estimation.

In my opinion this topic (digitization of our hobby) is not an extinction, but rather an evolution. And philately is certainly not alone in this evolution.
I think that most folks agree that evolution does not support 'going back'.


Don

I was of that opinion, especially for many of the philatelic print journals. I did support them and just recycled many unread after the philatelic libraries no longer needed them.

As to Linn's I signed up for PRINT EDITIONS and paid as needed. It was LINN"S who stopped sending the print copies.

Now I must say I agree with Don, but will add, the "evolved" does not mean better, except if one is speaking of biologic evolution; things which can't compete, can't overcome fatal environmental circumstance (e.g. disease or becoming dinner) or are unable to naturally breed.

Tech as it evolves has many examples of the best not being adopted, nor can one look backwards very far unlike with printed book and magazines. Even the employer of the top engineers in the world could not get back his old emails and documents from a company called "Next" he created before returning to the first one he created, Apple.

One buys a book, one owns a book and can share a book. If something is digitized one cannot now own it, one can only rent it having to pay again and again for the same information or to rent a location for your electrons.

So good for Linn's if its evolution and progress moves it to the extinction pile. That is where most things, inanimate or animate proudly en up. Heck the current estimate for extinct species of those once or currently living on Earth is greater than 99.99%.

I am still waiting for Monday and my call to Linn's.

There were a lot of printed material destroyed over the years due to neglect or intention. Archive.org (all the good and bad) can be invaluable.

The last time I visited archive.org I noted that Linn's was only available up to 1961. Today, it appears that later years are starting to be populated into the archive, very slowly. Is this the only place to find an archive of Linn's issues?

I would hope that the APS APRL is digitizing all of this stuff.