Domino is a type of gaming tile that can be used to play games of chance or skill. Each domino has a picture or pattern on one face and is blank on the other, or is marked with an arrangement of dots, called pips, similar to those on dice. Some large sets of dominos use more readable Arabic numerals instead of pips. Using dominoes as toys or educational tools can help children learn numbers, letters and sets. For example, a teacher can have students stack a set of dominoes on end in long lines and then tip the first domino, which causes all the others to fall over. The children can then count the number of dots on each domino to make a graph or chart showing how many of them are left over after each fall.
A domino game may be played by two or more players. A standard set of domino tiles consists of 28 tiles, which are shuffled and form a stack or ‘boneyard’ for the players to draw from as they play. Each player draws seven dominoes from the boneyard to start the game. When all of a player’s dominoes are laying flat side-to-side on the table, he or she wins the hand and receives a score equal to the number of dots in his or her opponents’ remaining unplayed dominoes. (In case of a tie, the player with the lower total domino count breaks the tie.)
The name of the company Dominos is derived from the Latin for dominum, meaning ‘to dominate’. Domino’s uses its domino-like qualities to its advantage in a variety of ways, including creating purpose-built delivery vehicles and even offering customers the option to order their pizza through texting or Amazon Echo devices. The company also invests in software analytics to better understand customer behavior and offer more accurate delivery times.
When Hevesh creates her mind-blowing domino setups, she follows a version of the engineering-design process. She starts with a theme or purpose for the installation, then brainstorms images or words that relate to it. Next, she considers how the installation will be built. Lastly, she checks for potential obstacles and tests each piece to make sure it’s up to the job.
In writing, a scene is like a domino, with the effect of each domino naturally influencing the next one until a big climax. This idea is particularly useful for building tension in a story, since a series of scenes that don’t connect smoothly will leave readers confused and unengaged. For this reason, it’s important to have scene dominoes in a row. A good way to practice is to write a brief outline of each scene and then lay them all out in order and step back. Doing so can help you see how each scene flows smoothly together to create a compelling story.