scott shafer checks out two of the new transit options. >> everyone likes having options, right? especially when it comes to your daily commute to work. this week i checked out two new alternatives to san francisco's muni bus system. starting with the newest kid on the block leap. leap launched its first bus route this week. >> so tell me how you found out about leap. >> i read an article on tech fringe that was circulated around our office. i got excited because i live in the marina and i hate the commute every morning. yeah. it's a perfect fit for me. this is my first time. it's great so far. it's really comfortable. spacious. not hot like the 30s which i usually take. >> how long were you taking muni and what was that experience like? >> probably about a year. but i avoided it as much as i could. i took uber a lot. but obviously, with the prices that are, you know always surging it became quite an expensive habit. >> a ride costs $5 to $6 depending on how many tickets you buy. about double muni fares. leap's vehicles are refurbished buses. there's wi-fi and even a mini bar sel

i'm scott shafer. thanks for joining us. ♪ >>> a kqed television production. >> it's sort of like old fisherman's wharf. it reminds me of old san francisco. >> and you'd be a little bit like jean valjean, with the teeth, whatever. >> and worth the calories, the cholesterol, and the heart attack you might have. >> it's like an adventure, you know? you gotta put on your miner's helmet. >> it reminds me of oatmeal with a touch of wet dog. >> i did. inhaled it. >> p

i'm scott shafer. we're going to start with some breaking news.verdict in a high-profile gender discrimination case. a case very closely watched in silicon valley. this afternoon a jury ruled that venture capital firm kleiner perkins did not discriminate against ellen pao. pao had sued the firm claiming it did not promote her because of her gender. the case has focused attention on the lack of diversity in the tech industry. joining me now to discuss the verdict's impact is fran meyer, the founder of match.com and trustee. fran meyer thanks for joining us. >> thanks so much for having me. >> first of all the obvious question. what's your reaction to this verdict? >> somewhat surprised although i think everybody knew that discrimination cases like this could be complex and ellen was complex herself. but i think disappointed. >> as a woman or as someone in the tech industry? why were you disappointed? >> from my point of view as a woman. i think it took a lot of courage to bring this case. i think it exposed a lot of issues that have been somewhat e

. >> and i'm scott shafer. california desperately needs rain. the drought that began in 2011 has grown worse every year since. >> and if you have any doubt about the drought's impact, take a look at these pictures. this was folsom reservoir in 2011, and this is what the reservoir looks like after three years of drought. this is like oroville in 2011, and this is what the lake looked like last year. and this is what the snowpack looks like in 2013. and this is what it looks like just a year later. state officials say the sierra snowpack is near record lows and any late season rainfall won't have much of an impact. in the central valley farmers are watching their crops wither and ranchers are selling off cattle to pay for hay to feed their remaining cows. >> i've got to sell more cattle so i can buy more hay. >> so the herd gets smaller and smaller. >> and i'm getting poorer and poorer. >> farmers who are able to are drilling wells pumping water from reservoirs deep underground to save their crops. but the water levels in those reservoirs, known a

. >> and i'm scott shafer. california desperately needs rain. the drought that began in 2011 has grown worse every year since. >> and if you have any doubt about the drought's impact, take a look at these pictures. this was folsom reservoir in 2011, and this is what the reservoir looks like after three years of drought. this is like

scott shafer checks out two of the new

i'm scott shafer. we're going to start with some breaking news.verdict in a high-profile gender discrimination case. a case very closely watched in silicon valley. this afternoon a jury ruled that venture capital firm kleiner perkins did not discriminate against ellen pao. pao had sued the firm claiming it did not promote her because of her

kqed's scott shafer tells us, the ads are aimed at a very select group of drivers.or some landing in silicon valley is like arriving in shangri-la the place apple facebook and google call home. but even in paradise there's traffic. the commute along this 40 mile stretch of freeway between san francisco and san jose can take a couple of hours. drivers have plenty of time to stare out their windows at the seemingly endless stream of ads for tech companies. some billboards promote the familiar, but others seem to require a translator. >> box box no have-- i don't have that one. >> standford university marketing professor pedro gardett say the billboard use a private language aimed at the tech set. >> these billboards are in a sense different from anything we've seen before. these companies have found a new way to do it which is putting up some little rid will-- riddles that in a sense say this ad is you. so it really makes sense in the microclimate we live in. >> among those driving by >> reporter: among those driving by are some of the biggest names in venture capital

scott shafer is with computer scientist aaron schulman. >> aaron schulman welcome. >> thank you. >> inayman's terms tell us what you and your team discovered. >> so our smartphones today are filled with a lot of sensors. for instance a compass and gyroscope, et cetera. and what's interesting is most of those sensors require some sort of permission from the application that's using them. so if you download an application it will say hey i need the compass and that might reveal your location. but there's one sensor in particular that doesn't actually need that and it's sort of a little-talked about sensor which is the power sensor. which tracks the power consumption of your phone over time. >> so these apps potentially can access that? >> that's right. yeah. any app actually in the android store can access that. and that power sensor is a bit troubling, or can be because it might reveal something about your location. so for instance, when you're driving down a road, you're moving closer and farther away from cell towers. and the closer you are to a cell tower, the less power your phone c