Domino is a game played by arranging small domino pieces on a surface until they all fall off. The first piece to fall starts a chain reaction, with each subsequent domino impacting the next in turn. Dominoes can be made from a variety of materials, including bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) or ivory with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted onto the faces. They can also be made from different natural stone materials, such as marble, granite or soapstone; other woods, such as acacia and cedar; metals, such as brass or pewter; or even ceramic clay.
The word domino comes from the Latin domino, meaning “favorable”, but it has had a number of other senses in English and French. Early on, it denoted a long hooded cloak worn with a mask during carnival season or at a masquerade. In later usage, the term became associated with the game of domino, possibly because of a similarity between the hooded garment and the contrasting colors of the domino pieces–black pips on ivory faces.
The game of domino is played with a set of rectangular, double-sided dominoes that are normally twice as tall as they are wide. The two sides of each domino are marked with a number of dots or “pips” that indicate the value of that side of the domino. The value of a domino may range from six to none, or blank. A domino is considered to have “heavier” if it has more pips, and “lighter” if it has fewer.
In the beginning, Domino’s focused on opening stores near college campuses. It was this strategy that helped them grow rapidly, with their first store opening in Ypsilanti in 1967. The company’s founder, Dominick Monaghan, emphasized putting pizzerias close to colleges as they would draw in customers who wanted their food fast–something that Domino’s had already built a reputation for.
Mercenary and mutant, Domino began her career as the bodyguard for brilliant scientist Milo Thurman. After a raid by A.I.M. forced Thurman into deeper cover, Domino teamed up with the time-traveling mutant Cable to form the Wild Pack (later renamed Six Pack). The pair went on missions around the globe, fighting for X-Corporation’s Hong Kong branch and hindering John Sublime’s Third Species mutant organ harvesting movement. Domino was eventually possessed by the Undying alien Aentaeros, but Cable’s intervention freed her and she rejoined X-Force.
Many learning challenges are like falling dominoes. One small compensation skill can impact the rest of the day’s work, leading to student frustration and a lack of productive momentum. The good news is, it’s possible to stop the domino effect.