This gave us at LAist HQ* a few chuckles, so in light of today's news that Facebook is acquiring Instagram (and all its new Android users, holla!) for the tidy sum of $1 billion, we are sharing this "Tweet of the Day" if you will, about a world in which Facebook bought one of Los Angeles' rail lines. more ›

Thanks @nowthatsWTF and @TaradiseUNLV for this rich piece of LA history. A 14-second Google search turned up something not quite resembling corroboration of this story that most weren't sure they could actually prove. The comments, as expected, provided much in the way of giggling (in those 14 seconds) with the expected, but no less funny, ha-has like: "it stayed hard all the time, he was always sitting around getting stoned, the kids are a chip off the old block, and she married a rock who she took for granite." Urban legend? Totally awesome factoid? You decide. more ›

Boing Boing founder Mark Frauenfelder is trying to get out of town this warm Friday afternoon, but so far, it's not working. Here's why, via his Twitter: "An idiot flushed a diaper down the toilet on the plane and now 200 of us are stuck at Burbank for 4 hours. #thediaperflushershavewon." Oy vey. At least, for a small sized airport like Burbank, it's a decent place to be stuck. more ›

When you need a jump, you rely on a friendly stranger or maybe AAA. When you've got nearly 65,000 Twitter followers and a full service kitchen, you can tweet for help and offer food in return. That's exactly what Kogi BBQ did last night when they tweeted "Roja out of battery @UCLA any1 can jumpstart us 4 some tacos?" The truck is back on the road today. more ›

Is this a true change in standpoint from our leadership? The beginning of a culture shift? Today, the L.A. Department of Transportation General Manager, Rita Robinson, aka MobilityMaven on Twitter, tweeted a warning to drivers: "Drivers - plz watch the road- be aware of cyclists. LADOT wrking w/LAPD & cyclists on road conditions/safety. Educ of drivers is crucial." Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa then retweeted it and followed it up with this: "I'm directing @MobilityMaven to work with the LAPD, LADOT and the cycling community to make our streets safe for cyclists." more ›

Worthy of Tweet of the Day status. Via @RedCross: "We are now confirming you have donated $5 million to Red Cross earthquake relief efforts in #Haiti by texting "haiti" to 90999. Amazing." Earlier Today: LA and OC Search & Rescue Teams Heading to Haiti and a fundraiser in Echo Park tonight. more ›

The LA City Nerd is back, and is now spreading his (or her?) savvy via Twitter. Today's pre-Turkey Day tidbit is a reminder that there might not be such a thing as a free lunch, but you don't have to be playing Monopoly to score free parking: "On Thursday (tomorrow), park for free at meters and ignore street sweeping parking restrictions in the City!" Of course, being that it is a national holiday, most of the places you'd normally be headed to will be closed. Still...that's one day when the meters won't gobble, gobble, gobble your spare change. more ›

Sure, Los Angeles is going through some tough times, and the city's ledgers aren't exactly overflowing in the assets column, but are we that ghetto? Or that cost-conscious, for that matter? Today's LA-centric Tweet of the day comes from Alfredo A. Hernandez (@LAnative_net), who wonders: "City Hall has had a black out most of the day. did @villaraigosa forget 2 pay the light bill or are they saving $$ & wasting my time?" Of course, with the power out, Mayor Villaraigosa and the check-signers might have to resort to cruising the web on their BlackBerries or battery-powered laptops... more ›

KNBC's lead morning reporter, Robert Kovacik shared this humorous fact today: "#Canoga Park: #Marijuana growing site found 25 ft from the back door of the #LAPD Topanga station. Topanga townhall w/ Beck scheduled Thurs." No doubt, cops were tipped off to the smell. more ›

Can't wait to read about this in his next column! more ›