“I’m disabling comments for a bit, though. I’m tired of reading nonsense and of interacting with people that solely troll this site just to get a rise out of other commenters and start a holy war in the comments section. I’m tired of having to delete crap and I’m tired of people complaining that a few thousand people ruin it for millions. Maybe I’m just tired of you.”

Yep.

Today, reader Andrew Burgess pointed out that Launch Center can be used to create shortcuts to iOS system preferences, too. This saves time but also fulfills some of my wishes for Apple’s Notification Center.

Here’s how.

Launch Center opens an app via its unique URL. For example, “tweetbot://” will open Tweetbot. David at AppCubby has conveniently posted a list of app URLs.¹ That’s great, but as Andrew points out at Shaky Takes, there are also URLs for iOS system preference screens. Best of all, they work with Launch Center.

To create a Launch Center task that opens the Bluetooth system preference, for example, follow these steps:
1. Create a new app shortcut
2. Enter “Bluetooth” as the title
3. Enter “prefs:root=General&path=Bluetooth” in the URL field
4. Tap Done

Now, tapping that task brings you right to the Bluetooth preference screen. It doesn’t stop there. All of these iOS preference screens are available via URLs. Now you can have one-tap access to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Airplane Mode…you name it. All from within Launch Center. Here’s a list of app URLs compiled by Lifehacker Australia:

• About – prefs:root=General&path=About
• Accessibility – prefs:root=General&path=ACCESSIBILITY
• 
Airplane Mode On – prefs:root=AIRPLANE_MODE
• 
Auto-Lock – prefs:root=General&path=AUTOLOCK
• Brightness – prefs:root=Brightness
• Bluetooth – prefs:root=General&path=Bluetooth
• Date & Time – prefs:root=General&path=DATE_AND_TIME
• FaceTime – prefs:root=FACETIME
• General – prefs:root=General
• 
Keyboard – prefs:root=General&path=Keyboard
• 
iCloud – prefs:root=CASTLE
• 
iCloud Storage & Backup – prefs:root=CASTLE&path=STORAGE_AND_BACKUP
• International – prefs:root=General&path=INTERNATIONAL
• Location Services – prefs:root=LOCATION_SERVICES
• 
Music – prefs:root=MUSIC
• Music Equalizer – prefs:root=MUSIC&path=EQ
• Music Volume Limit – prefs:root=MUSIC&path=VolumeLimit
• 
Network – prefs:root=General&path=Network
• 
Nike + iPod – prefs:root=NIKE_PLUS_IPOD
• 
Notes – prefs:root=NOTES
• Notification – prefs:root=NOTIFICATIONS_ID
• 
Phone – prefs:root=Phone
• Photos – prefs:root=Photos
• 
Profile – prefs:root=General&path=ManagedConfigurationList
• 
Reset – prefs:root=General&path=Reset
• Safari – prefs:root=Safari
• Siri – prefs:root=General&path=Assistant
• Sounds – prefs:root=Sounds
• Software Update – prefs:root=General&path=SOFTWARE_UPDATE_LINK
• Store – prefs:root=STORE
• 
Twitter – prefs:root=TWITTER
• 
Usage – prefs:root=General&path=USAGE
• VPN – prefs:root=General&path=Network/VPN
• 
Wallpaper – prefs:root=Wallpaper
• Wi-Fi – prefs:root=WIFI

In this way, Launch Center has delivered something Notification Center hasn’t: one-tap access to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi settings (among many others). Fantastic.

Launch Center is a 99¢ utility that keeps getting better. If you don’t own it, you’re nuts.

Update: Reader Aaron wrote with good and bad news. First the good. You can get to personal hotspot with “prefs:root=INTERNET_TETHERING.” The bad news is, “…in the current iOS beta, none on these system pref URL’s work anymore.” Drat.

Also, Dean notes that you can access the personal hotspot preference with “prefs:root=Personal_Hotspot”.

Last weekend I realized that I set it up to suit my needs at work and home, subconsciously dividing the two. At the top of the app’s screen I’ve got shortcuts for sending email and text messages to my wife, placing phone calls to my wife and parents and posting to Facebook. Below that I’ve got shortcuts to my web stats, 1Password, OmniFocus and an email to the team at TUAW.

This got me thinking of “profiles” for the app, or how individuals might set the app up, based on occupation or interest. Launch Center does not offer a profiles feature, but it doesn’t really have to. Instead, a person’s interests or occupation naturally creates a certain collections of tasks.

For example, a writer’s Launch Center profile could look like this:

• Open online web stats.
• Launch iOS blogging app of choice.
• Launch iOS text editor.
• Email to a post-by-email account like those for Posterous and WordPress.

Likewise, a parent’s could set it up to include:

• A camera app.
• Facebook launcher.
• Text to other parent/partner.
• Phone shortcuts to pediatrician, school, etc.
• Flashlight for late-night checks before bed or finding the myriad of things kids inevitably lose.

I can think of other setups for the social media addict, shutterbug, etc. So, how have you got Launch Center setup?

“It’s time to lose your cover for good, and let your phone roam free, nude, as nature intended.”

As someone who chipped his iPhone 4′s screen by dropping it a full 8″ onto a wooden step, my answer is “Oh hell no.” My iPhone will always reside inside  case.

On the other hand, MDN makes a habit of re-posting entire articles (or very large chunks), wrapping each one in quotes. Technically they’re quoting articles, which is fine, but they seldom offer commentary. That rides a line that I’m not happy with. It’s unfortunate because, a few years ago, MDN’s posts often included sharp, witty commentary that I genuinely enjoyed.

And then there’s what I call The Beleaguered Game. Every time the site publishes a headline that includes the word “beleaguered,” drink. Players beware: you may succumb to alcohol poisoning.

Today, I’m delighted with the folks at MDN because they published a post with the kind of biting commentary I remember from years ago, assaulting Cameron Kaine’s claim that the Kindle Fire was launched to “rave reviews” last November. I won’t spoil it. You’ll have to read it for yourself.

Please, MDN. More of this. I’ll visit multiple times per day if you keep this up. I’d rather you be last with the news and provide fantastic commentary than be first without any.

[Via Daring Fireball]

Spot-on. Brilliant observations by Sir Ken Robinson. You might have seen this before.

It’s both exhilarating and depressing. I’m nodding my head in agreement yet feel sorry for our broken educational system which, in my opinion, won’t ever change. I was bored to tears as a student and still consider myself a marginally-functional idiot, bereft of any particular talent or skill.

I distinctly remember handing an art project to my 6th-grade teacher. It was a watercolor of a man standing outdoors. She took the painting from me, opened a black marker and drew an outline around the man to “finish” it. So, the painting I made was “wrong.”

Worse, my 8-year-old already dreads school because “it’s so boring.”

Hard Graft has several iPad cases for sale, all beautiful and hand-made in Italy. The Tilt Pad case is my favorite.

[Via Swiss Miss]

Red’s Java House, Pier 30

A great place to get a delicious, greasy burger without free-range localvores staring you down for eating a cooked cow. The simple menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, fries and a few basic sandwiches. It’s not gourmet but a good prescription for those whose arteries are a little too free-flowing.

Mehfil Indian Cuisine 600 Folsom Street

I love good Indian food and Mehfil does not disappoint. You can’t go wrong with the menu, and the open kitchen adds a bit of theatre to your evening. Order a Sweet Lassi and think of me.

Scoma’s Restaurant Pier 47 on Al Scoma Way

A bit pricey, Scoma’s offers fantastic seafood and Italian dishes. The view is beautiful is well, so go before sunset to enjoy the Pacific Ocean.

Blue Bottle Coffee 66 Mint Street

I’m not a coffee fan but almost everyone else in the world is, so I inevitably end up at the Blue Bottle with friends (fortunately they serve tea, too).  It’s got a great atmosphere, good snacks and I’m told great coffee. Plus you get to look at this thing.

Mel’s Drive-In Diner 801 Mission Street

When I’m in San Francisco, every morning starts at Mel’s. Conveniently located to the Marscone, Marriott and Palomar,  Mel’s offers delicious diner-style breakfasts, kitchy 50′s decor and the fastest busboys you’ve ever seen.

The Thirsty Bear 661 Howard Street

This great place brews its own beer in an on-site brewery. I’m pretty sure you won’t find their brews anywhere else, and they’re worth the trip. The last time I was there, we got a tour of the basement brewery, which was a lot of fun.

I love Launch Center so much that it lives in my iPhone’s prime location: home screen, second row, second from the right. That’s the spot my thumb reaches most easily. We all keep track of such things, right?

Here’s why it lives in the coveted spot.

Creating Tasks

The first time you use Launch Center, brief instructions explain how to set up notifications. Once you’re done, it’s time to create some tasks.

There are eight task types to choose from:
1. Speed Dial
2. Text Message
3. Email
4. Launch Website/App
5. Post to Facebook
6. Tweet
7. Google my clipboard
8. Flashlight

Each offers one-tap access to a task. For example, the Speed Dial task lets you place a call with a tap. The Email task composes a message to the contact of your choosing, while Tweet and Post to Facebook do just what you’d expect.

The Launch Website or App task can open a website or launch an app. I use it to open 1Password, which I keep buried in a utilities folder three screens deep. Now, I simply tap the Launch Center task that points to “1password://” and it opens. David at App Cubby even provides a list of iOS app URLs to help with task creation. It’s a huge time saver.

You can create as many instances of a given task as you’d like, so set up multiple web pages, apps launchers or phone numbers.

Scheduling Tasks

Version 1.1 introduces task scheduling, which is brilliant. It lets you schedule a local alert to appear in iOS 5’s Notification Center for any task. Just select when you’d like to be reminded. Scheduled tasks can even be set to repeat hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or annually.

I recently created a task reminding me to make a call about my son’s Cub Scout meeting. When the time came, the notification appeared, I swiped it and placed the call with a tap.

Wish List

I do have some requests for a future release. First, I’d like to save an actual tweet, text message, etc. to a scheduled task. For example, text “Remember to check the mailbox” to my wife at 3:00 PM. As it stands, I can only schedule a reminder to text her.

I’d also like to group tasks, like App Launchers, Email Shortcuts, etc. Perhaps reveal them with a disclosure triangle. I’ve created many tasks and the list is quite long.

Finally, I’d like to be able to attach a photo to a tweet from within Launch Center.

Conclusion

Launch Center has become an important part of my workday and I wouldn’t want to be without it. It’s available from the App Store now for just $0.99. That’s a small amount of money for a hugely useful app.