These Dummies and Idiots books always seem to comes across simple to the point of ludicrous to start with. Then they rapidly get as jargonish as any other books, but seem to think that putting in lame jokes every now and again makes them easier to follow.

That's a general point - I haven't seen the one jeffp recommended.

So far as volume variation is concerned what bugs me is the way TV ads pump up the volume. You set the sound to something comfortable for you and not too annoying to other people and to the cats - and then the commercial break comes on and the volume hits the roof. Typically just when you've popped into the kitchen to put the kettle on and can't turn down the controls before all hell breaks loose.

That's thread drift, I fear...