CACrown ArchivesHistory · sources · collections
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Actor-Lab

Open-knowledge reference entry

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionDec 15, 2024
Entity authorityQ4677706
Source-derived summary

Actor-Lab is a program that visualizes the Lego Mindstorms internal logic through visual flowcharts. The ideas underlying actor-lab are derived from the event-driven, message-passing computer languages that began with the actor based languages devised by Hewit. Actor-lab requires constant communication with a programmable brick (e.g. the RCX) via an infra-red link. This means that the user has to mount the programmable brick vertically for models that move about, and hold the tower in some form of gantry crane. Actor-lab shows the user in real-time what is happening on the programmable brick, including simulation of motors, sensors, lights, and sounds. One can also add controls at the bottom of the screen to give oneself real-time control of your program/model. There is a similar program from Lego called Robolab, where one can actually download programs to the Lego programmable brick.

Controls within

Alt+Mouse Drag on an actor will move him to any location specified.

Double Click on an actor will edit his current messages.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Actor-Lab” as open-knowledge reference entry. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current 162-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Actor-Lab, Open-knowledge and entry can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as open-knowledge reference entry. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 15, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q4677706. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Actor-Lab”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Actor-Lab primary sources, Actor-Lab archive and Actor-Lab research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Actor-Lab”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Actor-Lab” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.