diff --git a/interface/src/OGlProgram.h b/interface/src/OGlProgram.h
index 06e684d2b3..23d42b0f35 100644
--- a/interface/src/OGlProgram.h
+++ b/interface/src/OGlProgram.h
@@ -60,8 +60,10 @@ public:
      */
     void activate() const {
 
-        if (_hndProg != 0u)
+        if (_hndProg != 0u) {
+
             oGlLog( glUseProgram(_hndProg) );
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -77,16 +79,20 @@ public:
      */
     bool addShader(GLenum type, GLsizei nStrings, GLchar const** strings) {
 
-        if (! _hndProg) { _hndProg = glCreateProgram(); }
+        if (! _hndProg && !! glCreateProgram) { 
+
+            _hndProg = glCreateProgram();
+        }
+        if (! _hndProg) { return false; }
 
         GLuint s = glCreateShader(type);
         glShaderSource(s, nStrings, strings, 0l);
         glCompileShader(s);
         GLint status; 
         glGetShaderiv(s, GL_COMPILE_STATUS, & status);
-        if (!! status)
+        if (status != 0)
             glAttachShader(_hndProg, s);
-#ifdef NDEBUG
+#ifdef NDEBUG // always fetch log in debug mode
         else
 #endif
             fetchLog(s, glGetShaderiv, glGetShaderInfoLog);
@@ -104,12 +110,21 @@ public:
         glLinkProgram(_hndProg);
         GLint status; 
         glGetProgramiv(_hndProg, GL_LINK_STATUS, & status);
-#ifdef NDEBUG
-        if (status == 0)
+#ifndef NDEBUG // always fetch log in debug mode
+        fetchLog(_hndProg, glGetProgramiv, glGetProgramInfoLog);
 #endif
+        if (status == 0) {
+#ifdef NDEBUG // only on error in release mode
             fetchLog(_hndProg, glGetProgramiv, glGetProgramInfoLog);
+#endif
+            glDeleteProgram(_hndProg);
+            _hndProg = 0u;
+            return false;
 
-        return status != 0;
+        } else {
+
+            return true;
+        }
     }
 
 private:
diff --git a/interface/src/starfield/Controller.h b/interface/src/starfield/Controller.h
index edf9fd7ec7..329119bbc4 100644
--- a/interface/src/starfield/Controller.h
+++ b/interface/src/starfield/Controller.h
@@ -72,16 +72,17 @@ namespace starfield {
         size_t                  _valLodNalloc;
         size_t                  _valLodNrender;
         BrightnessLevels        _seqLodBrightness;
-        BrightnessLevel         _valLodAllocBrightness;
 
 #if STARFIELD_MULTITHREADING
         atomic<BrightnessLevel> _valLodBrightness;
+        BrightnessLevel         _valLodAllocBrightness;
 
         atomic<Renderer*>       _ptrRenderer;
 
         typedef lock_guard<mutex> lock;
 #else
         BrightnessLevel         _valLodBrightness;
+        BrightnessLevel         _valLodAllocBrightness;
 
         Renderer*               _ptrRenderer;
 
@@ -89,6 +90,10 @@ namespace starfield {
         #define _(x)
 #endif
 
+        static inline size_t toBufSize(double f) {
+            return size_t(floor(f + 0.5f));
+        }
+
     public:
 
         Controller() :
@@ -99,8 +104,8 @@ namespace starfield {
             _valLodOveralloc(1.2),
             _valLodNalloc(0),
             _valLodNrender(0),
-            _valLodAllocBrightness(0),
             _valLodBrightness(0),
+            _valLodAllocBrightness(0),
             _ptrRenderer(0l) {
         }
 
@@ -144,8 +149,8 @@ namespace starfield {
 
                         rcpChange = 1.0;
 
-                        nRender = lrint(_valLodFraction * newLast);
-                        n = min(newLast, size_t(lrint(_valLodOveralloc * nRender)));
+                        nRender = toBufSize(_valLodFraction * newLast);
+                        n = min(newLast, toBufSize(_valLodOveralloc * nRender));
 
                     } else {
 
@@ -282,7 +287,7 @@ namespace starfield {
                 // calculate allocation size and corresponding brightness
                 // threshold
                 double oaFract = std::min(fraction * (1.0 + overalloc), 1.0);
-                n = lrint(oaFract * last);
+                n = toBufSize(oaFract * last);
                 bMin = _seqLodBrightness[n];
                 n = std::upper_bound(
                         _seqLodBrightness.begin() + n - 1,
@@ -290,7 +295,7 @@ namespace starfield {
                         bMin, GreaterBrightness() ) - _seqLodBrightness.begin();
 
                 // also determine number of vertices to render and brightness
-                nRender = lrint(fraction * last);
+                nRender = toBufSize(fraction * last);
                 // Note: nRender does not have to be accurate
                 b = _seqLodBrightness[nRender];
                 // this setting controls the renderer, also keep b as the 
@@ -304,7 +309,7 @@ namespace starfield {
 
 // fprintf(stderr, "Stars.cpp: "
 //        "fraction = %lf, oaFract = %lf, n = %d, n' = %d, bMin = %d, b = %d\n", 
-//        fraction, oaFract, lrint(oaFract * last)), n, bMin, b);
+//        fraction, oaFract, toBufSize(oaFract * last)), n, bMin, b);
 
                 // will not have to reallocate? set new fraction right away
                 // (it is consistent with the rest of the state in this case)
diff --git a/interface/src/starfield/Loader.h b/interface/src/starfield/Loader.h
index bff41409a2..03dfd18a53 100644
--- a/interface/src/starfield/Loader.h
+++ b/interface/src/starfield/Loader.h
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ namespace starfield {
 
                 return false;
             }
- fprintf(stderr, "Stars.cpp: read %d stars, rendering %ld\n", 
-         _valRecordsRead, _ptrVertices->size());
+ fprintf(stderr, "Stars.cpp: read %u vertices, using %lu\n", 
+      _valRecordsRead, _ptrVertices->size());
 
             return true;
         }
diff --git a/interface/src/starfield/data/InputVertex.h b/interface/src/starfield/data/InputVertex.h
index 9f30755325..670056bd74 100644
--- a/interface/src/starfield/data/InputVertex.h
+++ b/interface/src/starfield/data/InputVertex.h
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ namespace starfield {
 
         InputVertex(float azimuth, float altitude, unsigned color) {
 
-            _valColor = (color >> 16 & 0xffu) | (color & 0xff00u) |
-                        (color << 16 & 0xff0000u) | 0xff000000u;
+            _valColor = ((color >> 16) & 0xffu) | (color & 0xff00u) |
+                    ((color << 16) & 0xff0000u) | 0xff000000u;
 
             azimuth = angleConvert<Degrees,Radians>(azimuth);
             altitude = angleConvert<Degrees,Radians>(altitude);
diff --git a/interface/src/starfield/renderer/Tiling.h b/interface/src/starfield/renderer/Tiling.h
index 802640b139..1df4dd1956 100644
--- a/interface/src/starfield/renderer/Tiling.h
+++ b/interface/src/starfield/renderer/Tiling.h
@@ -13,15 +13,8 @@
 #error "This is an implementation file - not intended for direct inclusion."
 #endif
 
-#ifdef _WIN32
-#include "../Config.h"
-#define lrint(x) (floor(x + (x > 0) ? 0.5 : -0.5)) 
-    inline float remainder(float x, float y) { return std::fmod(x, y); }
-    inline int round(float x) { return (floor(x + 0.5)); }
-    double log2( double n ) { return log( n ) / log( 2 ); }
-#else
 #include "starfield/Config.h"
-#endif
+
 namespace starfield {
 
     class Tiling {
@@ -35,7 +28,7 @@ namespace starfield {
         Tiling(unsigned k) : 
             _valK(k),
             _valRcpSlice(k / Radians::twicePi()) {
-            _valBits = ceil(log2(getTileCount()));
+            _valBits = ceil(log(getTileCount()) * 1.4426950408889634); // log2
         }
 
         unsigned getAzimuthalTiles() const { return _valK; }
@@ -58,7 +51,7 @@ namespace starfield {
     private:
 
         unsigned discreteAngle(float unsigned_angle) const {
-            return unsigned(round(unsigned_angle * _valRcpSlice));
+            return unsigned(floor(unsigned_angle * _valRcpSlice + 0.5f));
         }
 
         unsigned discreteAzimuth(float a) const {
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/AngleUtils.h b/libraries/shared/src/AngleUtils.h
index dfe4f09124..8308eadf43 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/AngleUtils.h
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/AngleUtils.h
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ struct Rotations {
     static float halfPi()  { return 0.25f; }
 };
 
-/**
- * Converts an angle from one unit to another.
- */
+// 
+// Converts an angle from one unit to another.
+// 
 template< class UnitFrom, class UnitTo >
 float angleConvert(float a) {
 
@@ -42,21 +42,28 @@ float angleConvert(float a) {
 }
 
 
-/**
- * Clamps an angle to the range of [-180; 180) degrees.
- */
+// 
+// Clamps an angle to the range of [-180; 180) degrees.
+// 
 template< class Unit >
 float angleSignedNormal(float a) {
 
-    float result = remainder(a, Unit::twicePi());
-    if (result == Unit::pi())
-        result = -Unit::pi();
+    // result is remainder(a, Unit::twicePi());
+    float result = fmod(a, Unit::twicePi());
+    if (result >= Unit::pi()) {
+
+        result -= Unit::twicePi();
+
+    } else if (result < -Unit::pi()) {
+
+        result += Unit::twicePi();
+    } 
     return result;
 }
 
-/**
- * Clamps an angle to the range of [0; 360) degrees.
- */
+// 
+// Clamps an angle to the range of [0; 360) degrees.
+// 
 template< class Unit >
 float angleUnsignedNormal(float a) {
 
@@ -64,13 +71,13 @@ float angleUnsignedNormal(float a) {
 }
 
 
-/** 
- * Clamps a polar direction so that azimuth is in the range of [0; 360)
- * degrees and altitude is in the range of [-90; 90] degrees.
- *
- * The so normalized angle still contains ambiguity due to gimbal lock:
- * Both poles can be reached from any azimuthal direction.
- */
+//  
+// Clamps a polar direction so that azimuth is in the range of [0; 360)
+// degrees and altitude is in the range of [-90; 90] degrees.
+//
+// The so normalized angle still contains ambiguity due to gimbal lock:
+// Both poles can be reached from any azimuthal direction.
+// 
 template< class Unit >
 void angleHorizontalPolar(float& azimuth, float& altitude) {