9 Tips for the aspiring Emacs playboy (zoomq.qiniudn.com)

cua-mode has made my life much easier... cut and paste columns of text

I found the playboy theme to be awkward and distracting. I would have preferred the information without it.

Turn off the menu and toolbar. They're crutches when learning, and once you are fluent without them you'll appreciate the extra vertical code space.