News Byte

Yahoo Loses New Top Data Scientist to eBay

Tim Converse, one of Yahoo’s higher-ranking data scientists, who arrived at the company early this year via an acquisition, has been hired away by eBay. He will lead its search-science engineering team, reporting to search technology VP Dan Fain. Converse is co-founder of Jybe, a mobile app for recommendation and social discovery that the Silicon Valley Internet giant bought in March. His LinkedIn profile notes that, at Yahoo, he “worked on machine learning techniques for the personalization group.”

News Byte

AOL’s Huffington Post Adds Ecofabulous Content

AOL-owned Huffington Post is adding a large amount of environmental-focused content from Ecofabulous, and making its founder, Zem Joaquin, an editor at large of home and lifestyle. In a nonexclusive licensing and revenue-sharing deal, the dedicated Ecofabulous page said that the online content site “will host original product reviews and recommendations featuring environmentally conscious beauty, fashion, home, kids, tech, and lifestyle items; provide resources for readers aiming to live a green life; profile environmentally-pioneering companies; and serve as a place to inspire readers seeking the recommendations of expert editors and designers.”

Voices

Listen Up, Computers: You Still Can’t Beat the Human Touch

Algorithms are essentially sequences of finely-tuned rules for organizing 1’s and 0’s. Humans, unlike computers, can break these rules.

Buy the Stroller Now or Wait for a Price Drop?

Decide.com adds children’s gear to the range of products whose prices it forecasts.

Actually, Amazon Paid About $150 Million for Goodreads

Um, not one billlllllllion dollars.

SkinnyScoop Bets That There’s an Oprah in Everyone

Pinterest, but for your inner Oprah.

Honest: Jessica Alba’s Now an E-Commerce Geek (Video)

Can a Hollywood star sell online consumers on a healthier lifestyle for them and their kids?

Meet Mulu, a Pinterest-Like Site for E-Commerce — With a Cause

Mulu.me blends e-commerce with boldfaced names to push products — but also ties buying to charitable giving.

Gogobot Goes Mobile With New iPhone App