Domino is a game in which players try to knock down other tiles of the same color. Often, the tiles are marked with numbers or other symbols, and some are blank.
A domino set typically includes 28 pieces, which are also known as “dominos,” “tiles,” or simply, “bones.” These tiles come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. They are usually shaped like rectangular blocks with a line down their middle, which divides the ends into two squares that have a number of spots (pips) or are entirely blank.
Traditional domino sets are often called “double six” sets, as each piece features six pips on its end. Other sets, which are referred to as “extended” domino sets, feature a larger number of pips on each end, resulting in more unique combinations of tiles.
One of the most exciting ways that dominoes are played is with multiple players. Each player has a domino and draws tiles from the stock or boneyard until the set is exhausted, at which time the winner of the game is determined.
The first step in determining a winner is to determine the order of play. The lead, or the heaviest domino, is the first to be drawn, and each player in turn draws tiles until all of the pieces have been used.
When drawing tiles, the player must be aware of how many of each tile remain in the opponent’s hand. This is because the winner of the game depends on who has the most pips remaining, and the number of pips in each player’s dominos will influence the order in which they are drawn.
In addition, the player must consider how well each tile matches the other tiles in the set. A single tile can be matched to another only if its suit is the same as or higher than the other tile’s.
These rules are the basis for most Western games of dominoes, as well as many other games that are based on dominoes. Chinese dominoes differ from European ones in several ways, but most notably in their military-civilian suit distinctions and their lack of duplicate tiles.
Despite these differences, however, dominoes can be surprisingly useful in helping us make better decisions. We’ll use dominoes as a mental model to help prioritize our idea streams.
1. The Domino Effect
When we start to think about a project as an entire stream of ideas, it can be difficult to know which one is most important to work on today. This is especially true if we’re looking for inspiration or direction. The Domino Effect helps to focus our attention on the bigger picture by reminding us that each idea must be given a chance to collapse, blossom, and connect in the public sphere.
2. The Code-Data-Results Triangle
In the world of data science, there are a lot of different tools that can be used to speed up and streamline modern analytical workflows. The problem is that many of these tools have not matured enough to be integrated into the way data scientists and software engineers work. This means that data analysis teams have to awkwardly graft these tools on to their existing workflows, build them from scratch, or simply tolerate inefficiency.