I don't much enjoy my editor beeping at me.

;; Don't beep. Just blink the modeline on errors.
(setq ring-bell-function (lambda ()
                           (invert-face 'mode-line)
                           (run-with-timer 0.05 nil 'invert-face 'mode-line)))

This should help Emacs be a bit more subtle in the face of everyday errors, you know, like pressing C-g. BEEP BEEP!