Domino, also known as bones, cards, men, pieces, or tiles, is a small, flat rectangular block used as a gaming object. Dominoes are similar to dice or playing cards in that they can be used to play a wide variety of games. When dominoes are lined up and struck, they can form patterns that make shapes or create 3D structures such as towers and pyramids.
While many people enjoy lining dominoes up in curved or straight lines and flicking them, others go further to become professional domino artists, creating spectacular setups for movies, television shows, and even pop music events. One domino artist, Lily Hevesh, has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers. She’s been working with the fabled little squares since she was 9, and has created a unique style of art.
Hevesh follows a version of the engineering-design process when she creates her mind-blowing installations. She considers the theme or purpose of a particular piece and brainstorms images or words she might want to incorporate in it. She then calculates how many dominoes she needs to create her design.
When she’s finished, she creates a layout on paper that shows the way she wants the dominoes to fall. For simpler designs, she draws arrows to indicate how each domino will move from its starting point. For more elaborate arrangements, she may sketch the layout on a larger piece of paper and then cut out the individual dominoes.
Traditionally, dominoes are made from a hard material such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting black or white dots called pips. More recently, dominoes have been made from ceramic clay, glass or even metals. These sets typically have a more modern look and feel and are more expensive than those made from polymer materials.
The domino effect is a principle that states that one change in a system or process can cause a chain reaction that results in shifts in other aspects of the system. For example, a study showed that when people decreased their time spent on sedentary activities, they subsequently reduced their fat intake. These changes are referred to as the domino effect because one behavior led to the other.
As a leader, Doyle has embraced the domino effect by putting his employees at the center of everything he does. He’s focused on promoting core values such as “Champion Our Customers” and listening to feedback from team members. These initiatives have led to a dramatic turnaround for Domino’s, with same-store sales up by more than 10 percent over the past two years. The company is also making big bets on new delivery methods. Doyle has said he plans to invest in purpose-built pizza-delivery vehicles that will allow Domino’s to compete with Amazon and Uber in the fast-food delivery business. The company is also experimenting with drones and robots for delivery. Doyle believes these investments will allow Domino’s to be more competitive and help it achieve its long-term goals of expanding nationwide.