Since clearing my configuration, my filesystem has started to drown in *~ files and the occasional #*# file. This is a result of Emacs's default safety net, which I do not appreciate. 

(setq auto-save-default nil  ; Prevent *~  files
      make-backup-files nil) ; Prevent #*# files

I'm sure I'll live to regret this. You'll notice that I used the more compact form of setting multiple variables this time. I'm going to stick with that from now on.