Domino is a small, flat, thumb-sized rectangular block of a material such as bone or wood, bearing one to six spots or pips on each side. It is used as a gaming piece, with players attempting to play all of the dominoes on their turn in a specified pattern or sequence. The pips distinguish Domino from similar pieces such as dice or playing cards, which have a uniform face. In addition to blocking and scoring games, there are many other game variants using dominoes. Some are adapted from card games and were once popular in certain areas to circumvent religious prohibitions against playing them with cards.
The word domino can also be used to describe a set of rules or principles that govern a specific activity or situation. In fiction, the domino effect refers to any events that influence subsequent ones in a predictable way. In nonfiction, it may refer to a particular strategy or technique that allows a writer to advance their argument in a logical manner. The idea behind the domino effect is that if you can build a chain of events, each event must follow its own set of rules that will result in the desired outcome.
When Hevesh makes one of her mind-blowing domino constructions, she puts thousands of dominoes right where she wants them and then gives each just the slightest nudge. Because they have inertia, the dominoes resist motion, but a tiny nudge is enough to break their resistance and cause them to fall. As the first domino falls, its potential energy converts to kinetic energy and pushes the next domino over until the entire chain is complete.
Domino’s powers include the ability to subliminally and psionically initiate random telekinetic acts that affect probability in her favor. The effects can range from flipping a coin to making a machine malfunction. Her power is strongest when she is emotionally involved, such as during a robbery or rescue operation. She was once a member of X-Force, but left after rescuing the robot Gryaznova. During the incident, she was captured by a Prime Sentinel and implanted with a neural blocker that interfered with her synaptic relays. She overcame the blocker and rejoined X-Force with Jesse Aaronson, a former friend of hers who has a skill for disrupting machinery.
Domino is the creator of Domino’s Pizza, which began in 1967 with a single location in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The company grew to become the largest pizza franchise in the United States by the end of the 1970s, with over 200 locations. Its success stemmed largely from Monaghan’s emphasis on putting Domino’s stores near college campuses, where his target audience could easily get their pizza. The chain has since expanded worldwide. In 2016, Domino’s opened its 500th store in the United States, in Atlanta. Domino’s is now the fifth-largest pizza chain in the world, with over 70,000 employees worldwide. The chain’s restaurants serve over a million customers each week.