Domino is a type of game with small, thumb-sized rectangular blocks, each bearing an arrangement of dots on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. The number of dots on a domino corresponds to the suit (of which there are five: three, four, and six) it belongs to. A complete set of dominoes has 28 such tiles. The word domino has an even earlier sense, referring to a long hooded cloak worn together with a mask at a carnival or masquerade.
Dominos are used to play a variety of games, most commonly by matching the ends of the pieces and laying them down in lines or angular patterns. Several different types of domino games exist, some of which are blocking or scoring games. Other games involve combining two or more sets of dominoes to form longer chains. Each progressively larger set adds a number of new tiles, so that the total number of possible combinations of ends increases by three.
The best-known type of domino game, however, involves tipping over one domino, which causes the others to fall in a sequence that resembles a chain reaction. This is sometimes called a “domino effect,” and it has led to the development of some incredible artworks, including giant structures like this 76,017-piece circle of dominoes by artist Hevesh, who holds the Guinness World Record for the most dominoes toppled in a single display.
Hevesh’s designs rely on the laws of gravity for their success, but she says there is also an element of chance in each domino effect. She has experimented with the speed at which each domino falls to understand how they all fit together and what factors influence their behavior.
She believes that the key to creating great domino effects is to break down a project into good dominoes. A good domino is a task that contributes to a larger goal, is challenging but not insurmountable, and will have an impact on the future. For example, writing a book requires the ability to break down the book into logical chapters or plot beats that can be tipped over on their own.
Domino Data Lab is a cloud-based platform that helps people scale how they manage teams and projects, improve collaboration, and accelerate project delivery. It includes features such as the ability to connect to a version control system, spin up interactive workspaces of different sizes, and run jobs and workflows. It also provides tools to make the end-to-end data science process more seamless by integrating with a range of third-party apps such as GitHub, Bitbucket, and Google Drive. The software is available as a fully managed cloud service and on-premises.