Notes from the workshop.
Product updates, behind-the-scenes, and the occasional deep dive on how we build at Balane.
№01│July 22, 2026WindowNote: four terminals open — and each one tells you what it is running
If you work across many windows, what you lose isn't the windows — it's what you knew about them. WindowNote pins the note to the window you were working in. It survives a restart and finds its window again. No account, no cloud, macOS and Windows.
ProductivitymacOSWindowsLaunch
№02│July 5, 2026Summer Update 2026: five apps sharpened, two new projects
Not a single launch but a batch: FlowVisual, Ausklang, SynapseGym, TextDeck and GridBar all got a round of updates — and two new projects join in, both about the same question: what AI actually costs.
Product UpdateLaunchAI
№03│June 25, 2026Process Documentation Software: 7 Tools Compared Honestly (2026)
Which process documentation software actually fits? 7 tools from Confluence and draw.io to Signavio and FlowVisual — compared on what matters: keeping docs current, versioning, simulating.
Process DocumentationSoftwareComparisonTools
№04│June 25, 2026Process Documentation: The Complete Guide (Methods, Template, Tools)
Process documentation that doesn't rot in a folder: what it is, which elements belong in it, which method fits when, and how dead docs become a living process model. Includes a template and a tool comparison.
Process DocumentationProcess ManagementProcess OptimizationConsulting
№05│June 25, 2026Introducing FlowVisual: simulate your process, find the bottleneck, prove the fix in euros
Most tools let you draw a process. FlowVisual lets you run it — a desktop simulator that exposes the bottleneck with a Monte-Carlo stress test and proves the improvement in euros and time. Public Beta for Windows & macOS.
Process SimulationConsultingOperationsMonte CarloPublic Beta
№06│June 25, 2026How to Document a Process: Step-by-Step Guide with Template
How to document a process in 6 steps — with a copy-paste template, a concrete example, and the mistakes that kill any documentation. From capture to a living model.
Process DocumentationTemplateHow-ToProcess Management
№07│June 16, 2026Against Certainty: a field guide for thinking under uncertainty
A small, free project: interactive calculators and essays that show why your gut confuses loudness with probability — and how to decide in a more calibrated way.
RationalityDecision MakingLaunch
№08│June 13, 2026NetMute 2.1: a world map of where your Mac sends data
NetMute now draws a live world map of the countries your Mac talks to — tap a country to see which app is sending there. Readable service names, sent/received per app, data caps that hold. All on-device. It sees where and how much — never what's inside.
PrivacymacOSNetworkUpdate
№09│June 9, 2026The Second Look is here: catch document mistakes before your client does
The Second Look is a fully local Word add-in for law firms. One click before you send checks for the wrong client, leftover placeholders, open comments, tracked changes, metadata and more — it flags, you decide. No cloud, no AI at runtime.
Legal TechWordLaw firmsPrivacyLaunch
№10│June 4, 2026CellAlert is here: deadlines from your Excel sheet — without leaving it
CellAlert turns a date in an Excel cell into a monitored deadline and reminds you in time — even when Excel has long been closed. Web app, Excel add-in and mobile companions. Excel stays the source of truth, no lock-in.
ExcelDeadline trackingComplianceB2BLaunch
№11│May 17, 2026Deep questions that are actually fun — and make you think
A question game with three intensities: with one person or a group, until it gets honest — and alone as quiet self-reflection. No account, no tracking, no subscription. oof. for iPhone and Android.
iOSAndroidParty GameSelf-ReflectionQuestionsCard Game
№12│May 10, 2026I built a journaling app for the work nobody assigns
A small mountain-tracker for solo founders who keep dropping the follow-up. Mac, iPhone, iPad. Apple Intelligence on-device. iCloud sync. No subscription, no Cloud account.
macOSiOSApple IntelligenceHabit TrackerJournalingProductivity
№13│May 9, 2026Stream Deck Software for Mac in 2026: Streaming vs. Productivity — Pick the Right Tool
Most people searching for Stream Deck software on Mac want one of two things: live streaming or a productivity launcher. They're different problems. Here's the honest guide to which tool fits which job — including where GridBar fits and where it doesn't.
macOSStream DeckProductivityLauncher
№14│April 23, 2026Value Stream Mapping: step-by-step guide with example (incl. software comparison)
Value stream mapping step by step: what it is, how to build one (with a concrete example), which metrics matter, and which software is worth it for consultants and Lean teams.
Value Stream MappingLeanProcess OptimizationConsulting
№15│April 23, 2026Process Modeling Software for Mac: 9 Tools Worth Testing in 2026
Every honest comparison of process modeling software for Mac — Visio alternatives, Lucidchart alternatives, simulation tools, BPMN editors. What actually works on macOS in 2026.
Process ModelingComparisonmacOSConsulting
№16│April 23, 2026Two Public Betas: FlowVisual & Screenrig
Two new Mac apps from the Balane workshop go into public beta — and why we built both against the cloud reflex.
Public BetamacOSProduct Update