A domino is a small, thumb-sized rectangular block with one or more ends bearing from two to six pips or dots. There are 28 such dominoes in a complete set of dominoes. Dominoes are used for playing games that involve matching or building chains of tiles, and laying them down in lines and angular patterns. A game of dominoes may be a contest for speed or a competition to see who can build the longest chain.
The name of the game is derived from a Latin word meaning “fall over,” which is what happens when one domino comes down on top of another. This domino effect is a common theme in many of the world’s cultures and has been used as a metaphor for events that occur when a minor event causes a large change in the larger system.
In the late 1960s, Domino’s founder David Monaghan opened his first Domino’s location in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He focused on placing the pizza restaurants in areas with college campuses because he wanted to attract a young adult audience and deliver on his promise of fast service. This business strategy helped him grow the company.
He also emphasized listening to employees, an initiative that was critical to the success of Domino’s. The company implemented changes based on employee feedback, including a relaxed dress code and new leadership training programs. In addition, Domino’s has aligned HR practices with the strategic goals of the company to ensure customer satisfaction is always a top priority.
As a result of these changes, Domino’s has been able to keep its competitive advantage, even as its competitors have come and gone.
The most popular domino games involve a layout of tiles, which are arranged in rows or columns, and played by two or more players. The most common domino sets are double six and double nine. Larger sets exist, but they are seldom sold in stores because of the difficulty of identifying the pips on a large number of tiles.
When a player plays a tile, it must be placed adjacent to a tile with its matching end showing. The tile is then positioned so that it covers the end of the other tile and forms an overlapping, snake-like chain. Each time a tile is played, the players must place it in a way that allows the chain to develop as long as possible.
The force that pushes a domino into motion begins with its inertia, a tendency to resist movement when no outside pressure is applied. As soon as a tiny nudge is applied, the domino’s potential energy converts to kinetic energy, and some of that energy gets transmitted to the next domino. The next domino then has enough momentum to knock over the previous one.
The same principle is used when writing a story. If your scenes do not logically connect, it is likely that they lack the impact needed to pull your readers into your story. If you are a pantser, or someone who writes without an outline, you may find it helpful to use a tool such as Scrivener to help you weed out unnecessary scenes.
