Domino is a small flat rectangular block used as a gaming object. It has either one or more dots on each face, and the ends are curved to provide a gripping surface for stacking. Also known as bones, cards, men, or pieces, dominoes can be arranged in a variety of patterns to form lines or 3D structures. They are normally twice as long as they are wide. The number of pips on each end (also called values) gives the domino its rank or weight, and indicates how many pieces can be added to the set before it becomes impractical to continue adding more.
A domino is a great tool for learning the concept of cause and effect. When a single domino is tipped ever so slightly, it causes the rest of the structure to fall, creating a rhythmic movement that illustrates the principle. Likewise, a writer who understands the “domino effect” can use his or her scenes in such a way as to build tension and momentum throughout a story.
While the word domino has roots in ancient blocking games, it is more commonly associated with a game of skill that involves laying tiles and scoring points. In the most basic form, players place tiles on the edge of a table so that adjacent ends match: one’s touching ones, two’s touching two’s, and so on. When all of the tiles have been played, a chain develops that gradually increases in length as each player adds a tile to its neighbor. The shape of the chain can be dictated by the rules of the game and limitations of the playing surface.
Physicist Stephen Morris suggests that this phenomenon is due to the fact that dominoes have potential energy, or energy stored in their upright position, and kinetic energy, or energy in motion, when they are dropped. He also points out that a domino must first be picked up and positioned, before the force of gravity can convert potential energy into kinetic energy and knock it over.
The same logic applies to writing a story: if your scene doesn’t have a clear impact on the scene ahead of it, or if you’re a pantster who skips outlining, it may result in a series of scenes that are at the wrong angle or don’t raise the stakes enough. The key to a good domino effect is careful planning.
As data analysis tools mature, the software engineering best practices that make them more efficient are often difficult to graft onto existing workflows. For example, there are few ways to centralize model execution or share models with internal stakeholders without disrupting your team’s production processes. Until now, the best you could do was to rely on cumbersome scripts or email. The Domino Data Lab platform fills in these gaps by enabling you to deploy your models as REST API endpoints that are simple for internal consumers to use, without the need for technical knowledge or complex programming skills.