Beginning December 1, 2009, the FTC requires webmasters to provide disclosures whenever there could be hidden interests or unspoken biases related to recommendations. Per the FTC rules, if I interview someone and they grab the bill for lunch, I would need to specify this. Ditto if I use an Amazon link that gets me 8 cents instead of an Amazon link that gets me 0 cents. If someone gives me a comfy t-shirt with a logo and I wear it in a photo, same deal. Disclaimers all over the place. This would be tedious for me and a continual eye sore for readers. But rules is rules. To cover ourselves and preserve your reading experience, please assume that, for every recommendation, link, and product mentioned, the following all hold true:

Images courtesy of Tim Ferris