What’s On The Horizon For The Sphere In Las Vegas?

The Sphere in Las Vegas is a sight to behold - but what's next for the big ball?

The Sphere’s 580,000-square-foot Exosphere screen has displayed about 20 video segments, thus far, with more coming,

The eyeball, jack-o-lantern, the astronaut walking through a portal, are some of the most popular on social media. The fireworks show was shown just once, on thee 4th of July, but it's the one that started it all, and will hopefully be an annual show.

There is no opportunity - at least yet - to purchase advertising or promotional space on The Sphere. But I'll bet my own money that is just around the corner. It is Las Vegas, after all. The basketballs in the NBA Summer League display were definitely promotional - so it's coming.

The Sphere in Las Vegas will be the prototype of other Spheres. The plan is for more Spheres, regardless of The Sphere Las Vega'ss $2.3 billion dollar price tag.

All seats have a small motor speaker on the back, which will deliver vibrations that coincide with the video and sound of the show. Different frequencies will run through different areas in the chair. Some say it's "a weird feeling." but very effective.

The seats are in a fixed position and face forward. They won’t rotate or swivel. Fans will need, and want to look up - and around -as they watch a show, to capture everything. It will eventually run a wide range of artistic content throughout the day, with  sunrise and sunset productions on either side of them.

So is it called Sphere or The Sphere? Sphere Director of Photography for Big Sky, Andrew Shulkind, who is an expert on the venue, calls it “Sphere.” Marketing materials often refer to it as “The Sphere.”

As with everything in Las Vegas, people will find a name for it, no matter what the "official" name is. The D.I., The Trop, The Strat, The T.I., etc.

For now, I call it "The Big Ball U2 will be playing in."

Tipping has gotten out of control - even in Las Vegas, which is considered a tipping city.

If you feel like you’re being asked to tip just about everywhere you go these days, you are not alone. In addition to those traditional establishments and businesses — restaurants, barber shops, Uber and Lyft — customers are being prompted to tip everywhere, from convenience store counters to self-checkout kiosks at airports. And it's gotten out of hand.

Las Vegas is the land of tipping. Servers, bartenders dealers, valet, bell desk, concierge - it's non-stop!

Etiquette experts Like Thomas Farley — who is known as Mister Manners — are calling it “tipflation.” Farley says that people are really feeling imposed upon. We’re  through very inflationary times. Everything is very expensive. And on top of that, you’re being asked every time you turn around, ‘How much would you like to tip?’

So put your wallet away, and take notice of these five people and scenarios that don’t require a tip.

As a blanket rule, you don’t need to tip anyone who earns a salary or performs a trade. That means you don’t have to tip doctors, lawyers, teachers, plumbers or cable techs. Not only would it not be expected, it would be highly unorthodox and very awkward.  Plus, in certain situations, it could be seen as attempting to get some sort of favor or that it might be some sort of a bribe.

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As a rule, anyone working at a counter is earning a wage, while those delivering food, either to your table or to your home, rely on tips as a major part of their income. Tipping people who work behind a counter, such as a barista or a cashier, is not a requirement as far as etiquette experts are concerned — even if that tablet suggests otherwise.  But when they turn that device around, it’s this glaring thing, and people feel shamed into tipping,  That’s not to say a tip for a counter worker is out of the question, and isn't a nice gesture.  If you frequent the place regularly, and they have your order memorized, then go for it!

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If you go to an event with an open bar, the bar staff may or may not put out a tip jar. But s a rule of thumb,  the host of that event has likely already taken care of the tip. It would be included in what they’ve had to pay for the venue or bartending service. This means you’re not obligated to tip, too. It is, of course, appreciated  and may help get you better service throughout the night.  Now, if they give you a heavier pour., a buck or two isn’t much to ask.

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You don’t have to tip twice for the same service. Like the your nail girl, who you tipped, but had to pay at the counter, and were prompted to tip again. Sorry, but that's just the business trying to get more money out of you! The situation is a little trickier in cities that have implemented minimum wage requirements for tipped workers, such as restaurant servers. Some restaurants in these cities will apply a 20% service charge to your bill before giving you with the option to tip. In those situations, it's ok to discreetly ask your server where the fee is going. If it goes to the servers, bussers and so forth, you don't have to tip again. If the money goes to the house, you’ll want to leave a tip for the server who took care of you. From an etiquette standpoint, we still tip the servers who are bringing us our food,  but you don't have to do 20% on top of 20%!

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You’re never obligated to tip someone for poor service or if you’ve had a rude interaction with them. In the case of a one-on-one service, such as a haircut, this is pretty cut and dried. In fact, if they ruined your hair, they don’t deserve a tip, and you probably need a refund. In the case of a restaurant, it gets a little trickier. Use a sliding scale for restaurant tipping, with 20% as the standard, and more if a server goes above and beyond. Even with bad service, you shouldn’t go lower than 10%, because often the server is not at fault. If the food took too long to come out, that’s a kitchen issue. If it wasn’t made properly, that’s a kitchen issue. A bad interaction with a server, you may not tip much, but be sure to bring it up with management. That way they’ll know you weren’t just a jerk.

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