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Before the rise of the Internet, cable TV was the new form of distribution remaking the entertainment business. Life-long entrepreneur and former jazz producer Fred Seibert pioneered that field, and is known in the industry for branding MTV (remember their ever-changing animated logo) and Nickelodeon (remember Nick-at-Nite). While he was figuring out what to do next, Ted Turner hired him to be president of the then-struggling Hanna-Barbera cartoon studio. Fred turned the famous studio around and kept his hand in the cable business until some friends dragged him into the Internet business. He now runs Frederator Studios which produces several cable and Internet TV shows. He also just launched a new well-funded startup called Next New Networks to create Internet TV networks.

Past Venture Voice guest David O. Sacks launched Geni today, as TechCrunch reports, which aims to be the ultimate family tree.

Many have tried in this area before, none have achieved dominance. I've tried about 5 of these types of services in the past (including one from Joe Kraus's Jot) and none have caught on with my family no matter how many e-mails I've sent out.

Geni's got one of the fastest registrations I've ever seen, so I couldn't resist pestering my family members yet again. As I've said before, never bet against a PayPal alum. Let's hope that, as Valleywag eloquently put it in reference to his Hollywood venture, David Sacks has another "disgustingly successful foray".

Download the MP3.

The battery is an afterthought for most inventors. All the fun seems to be in developing a device, not in powering it. But when was the last time you cursed your phone, camera or podcast player because it ran out of batteries? Simon Daniel got fed up with his batteries, and decided to do something about it. He invented the USBcell, a standard sized battery (yes, it comes in AA) that can recharge using any USB port. This isn’t his first invention. Previously, he invented the folding keyboard and licensed the technology. This time he’s bringing the USBcell to market himself through the company he founded called Moixa (axiom spelled backwards). Though this might force you to think differently, don’t worry, we won’t play the podcast backwards.

Jazz has undergone the ultimate irony. Born in New Orleans, Jazz was once deplored by the music establishment and academia as modern day rap is now considered offensive by ears accustomed to Beethoven. It was the devil's music. Now it's hard to find an article about it in anything other than media outlets aimed at upscale audiences. The New York Times just printed an article titled Jazz Is Alive and Well. In the Classroom, Anyway.

I'm not sure that there's any correlation between entrepreneurship and fitness, but there seems to be a lot in common among people at the top of their game -- be them entrepreneurs or athletes. Outside magazine ran an interview with "ultrarunner" Dean Karnazes (thanks to Michael Hyatt for the link) in which he said: