Fix method names, redundant initialization of variables, typos in comments and other improvements
Make util class non-instantiatable and non-extendable
Use interface instead of concrete class, add missing @Override
Add logging exception, fix typo in comment
Remove redundant variable initialization, flip equals() on strings
Add missing 'private' and 'public' access' modifiers, fix warnings
Make util class non-instantiatable and non-extendable, flip equals() on strings, remove redundant code
Fix that NullPointerException should NEVER be thrown by programmer, make exceptions more informative, simplify code logic, flip equals() on strings

...and other small fixes