Day: November 13, 2024
What is Dominos?
A domino is a flat thumb-sized rectangular block, with one face bearing from one to six numbered dots or spots (sometimes called pegs) and the other blank or identically patterned. 28 such dominoes are usually contained in a complete set. A domino is used to play various games in which a player tries to lay down pieces of the same value in a line, either side-to-side or in angular patterns. The word comes from Latin dominus ‘lord, master’, probably referring to the fact that dominoes have been used for centuries as tools of learning and as toys for children. Dominos are sometimes used in instructional ot therapy to help students with autism or ADHD learn and recall information such as names of family members, school friends and teachers. They also can be used to teach counting and numbers. Students can also use dominoes with pictures to learn or reinforce the meaning of words such as colors and letters. Traditionally, domino sets are made of bone or ivory and a dark material such as ebony, with pips engraved or inlaid into the surface. Modern sets are typically made of plastic. More recently, sets have been made of other natural materials such as marble and granite; stone-like soapstone; woods like ash or redwood; metals; and even ceramic clay. Historically, large domino sets were used for positional games. In these, a domino is placed edge to edge against another, and a player tries to find and place a domino in such a way that the values of the two adjacent dominoes match. Smaller, more portable sets of dominoes are often used for layout games. In these, a domino can be played by itself, with the aim of covering all of the dots in some pattern or forming specific shapes such as squares, circles and diamonds. In recent times, larger and more complex sets have been used for layout games, particularly in computer-based versions of these traditional games. As a marketing strategy, Dominos has taken some risks in its expansion into new markets. For example, it worked with crowd-sourced auto designers to create a Domino’s delivery car—dubbed the “cheese lover’s Batmobile” by an article in The Wall Street Journal—that would allow customers to order pizza directly from their cars. However, the company’s expansion has also entailed some major missteps that have hurt Domino’s reputation and financial condition. For example, in 2003, Domino’s was forced to halt a planned expansion into the United Kingdom after its leadership team was fired. That decision ultimately cost the company about $1.5 billion in lost revenue and caused its stock to plummet. In addition, the company suffered from a series of food safety scares that led to declining sales. Domino’s responded by introducing new items to the menu, but this wasn’t enough to offset the negative publicity and poor customer response. As a result, Domino’s is now facing stiff competition from other fast-food chains and has struggled to turn around its financial fortunes.
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