Domino is a game played with dominoes, which are rectangular clay or ceramic tiles that are usually twice as long as they are wide and feature a line down the center to divide them into two square faces, called ends. The dominoes are marked with an arrangement of spots, or pips, similar to those on a die, except that some squares are blank (indicated by a zero).
A domino has inertia and will remain motionless until something pushes it. A tiny nudge can make it fall, and the resulting domino chain can then form pictures or even 3-D structures such as towers. Artists like Hevesh use these chains to demonstrate the power of inertia, creating domino displays that can take several nail-biting minutes to fall.
Hevesh, whose creations are featured in the 2011 documentary “Domino,” starts each project by considering its theme or purpose. She then brainstorms images or words to use, and plans how she will arrange the dominoes to best convey her message. Her work often involves grids that form pictures, walls or 3-D structures such as towers or pyramids. She may also create a pattern that resembles a musical score, or use the pieces to demonstrate the power of inertia.
Before play begins, the tiles are shuffled and then drawn by each player in turn, according to the rules of the particular game being played. The person who draws the heaviest tile—also known as the setter, downer or lead—makes the first play. Depending on the rules of the game, this first play may be made either by placing a domino edge to edge against another—known as a positional game—or by using a domino as part of a sequence of plays in which each player is required to add to the previous player’s total—known as a counting game.
When Doyle took over as CEO of Domino’s in 2004, the company was nearly $943 million in debt and facing a decline in customer satisfaction. He and his team refocused the business on innovation, introducing new pizzas and expanding into other markets—even opening shops in Italy, which were a big risk at the time. They also embraced their core values, including championing customers. This meant listening to what they had to say and responding quickly. It was a strategy that paid off. In the years since, Domino’s has regained its popularity and become the world’s largest pizza delivery company. This week, it announced that customers in the United States can now place their Domino’s orders directly from their cars using Apple CarPlay. A similar partnership with Google Home is expected to launch later this year. Apple’s CarPlay is a feature that allows drivers to connect their smart devices to their vehicle, making it easier to access and use their favorite apps and features. This integration with Domino’s demonstrates the growing power of connected cars and the potential for innovative partnerships between companies that share a common goal—to improve people’s lives through the power of technology.