diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
index acd1728388..30dd2bdd34 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
@@ -1767,14 +1767,12 @@ void MyAvatar::lateUpdatePalms() {
 static const float FOLLOW_TIME = 0.5f;
 
 void MyAvatar::FollowHelper::deactivate() {
-    _timeTotal = FOLLOW_TIME;
     _timeRemaining = 0.0f;
 }
 
 void MyAvatar::FollowHelper::activate() {
-    // TODO: the follow time should be proportional to the displacement.
+    // TODO: Perhaps, the follow time should be proportional to the displacement.
     _timeRemaining = FOLLOW_TIME;
-    _timeTotal = FOLLOW_TIME;
 }
 
 bool MyAvatar::FollowHelper::isActive() const {
@@ -1795,10 +1793,10 @@ bool MyAvatar::FollowHelper::shouldActivate(const MyAvatar& myAvatar, const glm:
     const float CYLINDER_RADIUS = 0.15f;
 
     glm::vec3 offset = extractTranslation(desiredBodyMatrix) - extractTranslation(currentBodyMatrix);
-    glm::vec3 truncatedOffset(offset.x, 0.0f, offset.y);
-    float truncatedDistance = glm::length(truncatedOffset);
+    glm::vec3 radialOffset(offset.x, 0.0f, offset.y);
+    float radialDistance = glm::length(radialOffset);
 
-    return (offset.y > CYLINDER_TOP) || (offset.y < CYLINDER_BOTTOM) || (truncatedDistance > CYLINDER_RADIUS);
+    return (offset.y > CYLINDER_TOP) || (offset.y < CYLINDER_BOTTOM) || (radialDistance > CYLINDER_RADIUS);
 }
 
 void MyAvatar::FollowHelper::prePhysicsUpdate(MyAvatar& myAvatar, const glm::mat4& desiredBodyMatrix, const glm::mat4& currentBodyMatrix) {
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
index a32dfc298d..a911218991 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
@@ -377,7 +377,6 @@ private:
     struct FollowHelper {
         glm::mat4 _desiredBodyMatrix;
         float _timeRemaining { 0.0f };
-        float _timeTotal { 0.0f };
 
         void deactivate();
         void activate();
diff --git a/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp b/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp
index 72d8220d4f..432b89ba31 100644
--- a/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp
+++ b/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp
@@ -194,9 +194,10 @@ void CharacterController::playerStep(btCollisionWorld* dynaWorld, btScalar dt) {
     // Rather then add this velocity to velocity the RigidBody, we explicitly teleport the RigidBody towards its goal.
     // This mirrors the computation done in MyAvatar::FollowHelper::postPhysicsUpdate().
     // These two computations must be kept in sync.
+    const float MINIMUM_TIME_REMAINING = 0.005f;
     const float MAX_DISPLACEMENT = 0.5f * _radius;
     _followTimeRemaining -= dt;
-    if (_followTimeRemaining >= 0.005f) {
+    if (_followTimeRemaining >= MINIMUM_TIME_REMAINING) {
         btTransform bodyTransform = _rigidBody->getWorldTransform();
 
         btVector3 startPos = bodyTransform.getOrigin();
@@ -210,9 +211,9 @@ void CharacterController::playerStep(btCollisionWorld* dynaWorld, btScalar dt) {
         glm::vec2 currentRight(currentFacing.y, -currentFacing.x);
         glm::vec2 desiredFacing = getFacingDir2D(bulletToGLM(_followDesiredBodyTransform.getRotation()));
         float deltaAngle = acosf(glm::clamp(glm::dot(currentFacing, desiredFacing), -1.0f, 1.0f));
-        float angularVel = deltaAngle / _followTimeRemaining;
+        float angularSpeed = deltaAngle / _followTimeRemaining;
         float sign = copysignf(1.0f, glm::dot(desiredFacing, currentRight));
-        btQuaternion angularDisplacement = btQuaternion(btVector3(0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f), sign * angularVel * dt);
+        btQuaternion angularDisplacement = btQuaternion(btVector3(0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f), sign * angularSpeed * dt);
         btQuaternion endRot = angularDisplacement * startRot;
 
         // in order to accumulate displacement of avatar position, we need to take _shapeLocalOffset into account.
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/GLMHelpers.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/GLMHelpers.cpp
index 5adb9ca947..5073563afd 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/GLMHelpers.cpp
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/GLMHelpers.cpp
@@ -428,8 +428,9 @@ void generateBasisVectors(const glm::vec3& primaryAxis, const glm::vec3& seconda
 glm::vec2 getFacingDir2D(const glm::quat& rot) {
     glm::vec3 facing3D = rot * Vectors::UNIT_NEG_Z;
     glm::vec2 facing2D(facing3D.x, facing3D.z);
-    if (glm::length(facing2D) <= 0.0001f) {
-        return glm::vec2(1, 0);
+    const float ALMOST_ZERO = 0.0001f;
+    if (glm::length(facing2D) < ALMOST_ZERO) {
+        return glm::vec2(1.0f, 0.0f);
     } else {
         return glm::normalize(facing2D);
     }
@@ -438,8 +439,9 @@ glm::vec2 getFacingDir2D(const glm::quat& rot) {
 glm::vec2 getFacingDir2D(const glm::mat4& m) {
     glm::vec3 facing3D = transformVector(m, Vectors::UNIT_NEG_Z);
     glm::vec2 facing2D(facing3D.x, facing3D.z);
-    if (glm::length(facing2D) <= 0.0001f) {
-        return glm::vec2(1, 0);
+    const float ALMOST_ZERO = 0.0001f;
+    if (glm::length(facing2D) < ALMOST_ZERO) {
+        return glm::vec2(1.0f, 0.0f);
     } else {
         return glm::normalize(facing2D);
     }