Breaktime Tech Talks
A bite-sized tech podcast for busy developers where we’ll briefly cover technical topics, new snippets, and more in short time blocks. Your host, Jennifer Reif, is an avid developer and problem-solver with special interest in data, learning, and all things technology.
Episodes
Friday Mar 21, 2025
Ep38: Spring AI Debugging + How to Contribute to Open Source
Friday Mar 21, 2025
Friday Mar 21, 2025
In this episode, I continue my journey with vector databases, integrating Pinecone, Neo4j, and Spring AI. While making some progress, I also encountered hurdles, such as evolving APIs and the unique architecture of vector stores.
Next, I share insights from an article on contributing to open-source projects, how it can accelerate your career and enhance both your technical and soft skills. From picking the right project to building credibility within the community, it's a series of steps that gets better with time and practice!
Friday Mar 14, 2025
Ep37: Vector Database Frustration + Microsoft LazyGraphRAG
Friday Mar 14, 2025
Friday Mar 14, 2025
In this episode, I discuss my challenges exploring vector databases for an upcoming demo. From what is a vector database to integration issues, hear how I tried a few different approaches with limited success and discover the surprising one with the most promise. I also explore Microsoft's "Lazy Graph RAG" approach, which seems to trade one challenge for another but could be valuable in certain cases.
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Ep36: What is a Developer Advocate + Balancing Digital Consumption
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Friday Feb 28, 2025
This week, I explored the Javalin Java framework and project decisions I'm trying to make. I also answer: What exactly does a Developer Advocate/Evangelist/Devrel do? Finally, I reflect on an article on balancing digital consumption with actual productivity.
Friday Feb 21, 2025
Ep35: Vector Databases + Building Effective Agents
Friday Feb 21, 2025
Friday Feb 21, 2025
In this episode, there are two topics I'm looking forward to diving deeper into: vector databases and AI agents. I'm particularly interested in understanding how vector databases work, how they work with data, and their role in AI applications.
Then I share my thoughts on Anthropic’s article about Building AI Agents, which discusses their varying definitions—from simple workflows to fully autonomous systems—and provides practical examples. The article highlights the importance of starting simple, adding complexity only as needed.
Friday Feb 14, 2025
Ep34: Outlines and Iterating + Lessons from Grace Hopper
Friday Feb 14, 2025
Friday Feb 14, 2025
In this podcast episode, hear my process of preparing for an upcoming conference with insights on how outlines enhance presentations and blog posts, as well as code and architecture. Also discuss how constant improvement is key with an online course as an example. Finally, I highlight a historical read on cryptography, and share reflections from Grace Hopper's 1982 lecture on data, hardware, and software, drawing connections between her insights and modern challenges in technology.
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Ep33: Cypher DSL examples + Crowd-source AI hacking
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Friday Feb 07, 2025
In this episode, I share recent blog posts. The first is about tackling challenges with GitHub repositories, offering solutions on syncing forks and using git rebasing, diffs, and pruning. Next, I created examples with Cypher DSL, providing beginner-friendly details to help users get started. Additionally, I started prepping for the Devnexus conference, where I'll be delivering my first keynote. I also read an article about an intriguing AI testing project where a user successfully manipulated an AI to break its rules and win a $50,000 prize, illustrating the potential challenges AI systems face in handling sensitive tasks.
Friday Jan 31, 2025
Ep32: Official CLI + Bread Code Framework
Friday Jan 31, 2025
Friday Jan 31, 2025
In this episode, I’m following up on a few things I’ve mentioned before. I dive into some updates on the Aura CLI (the official product version). I also explored the Neo4j GenAI Java library a bit more, including a connection hiccup I ran into with Neo4j Desktop. Then, I get into my experience with the Cypher DSL library and how Cypher fits into the retrieval part of RAG systems. Finally, I take a fun detour into an interesting article about a GitHub repository that combines coding and sourdough baking. It’s a cool reminder that the skills we learn in coding can apply to all sorts of other areas, even in the kitchen!
Friday Jan 24, 2025
Ep31: Database CLI + Containerization Refcard
Friday Jan 24, 2025
Friday Jan 24, 2025
In this episode, hear updates on a few projects, including Neo4j's new Aura CLI and NeoConverse. Plus, the promised blog post from last week's episode on Spring Data Neo4j entity updates. Shout-out to the JAXJUG and TampaJUG groups. If you're not involved with a tech group, there are options!
Finally, a review of the DZone RefCard on Java containerization with its clear guidance on Docker containers, native builds, and deployment, making complex concepts more accessible for developers.
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Ep30: SDN update entity + Knowledge Graph ebook
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Dive into my latest experiences with Spring Data Neo4j, specifically exploring new methods for updating nodes. After revisiting my 2023 blog post on this topic, I share insights on custom Cypher queries and projections. I also discuss the challenges of finding good examples for update operations.
In addition, Neo4j announced the release of The Developer's Guide: How to Build a Knowledge Graph, a new ebook I co-authored. Hear my challenges of writing the book, including finding the right dataset for graph queries, working through product updates during the writing process, and the complexities of collaborating across different perspectives. Stay tuned for future updates, as we continue to refine this ever-evolving resource.
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Ep29: Neo4j GenAI plugin + How-To for Technical Content
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 10, 2025
In this episode, dive into a few exciting areas I've been exploring, including generative AI and graph technologies. I worked with Neo4j’s generative AI plugin for an experiment, and it wasn't all smooth sailing.
Next, my highlights from an article in the Descript community on how to expand your educational YouTube audience—especially applied for those creating technical content. Key tips include thinking like a viewer to ask great questions, tweaking video intros to keep people engaged, and channeling viewer interests to strengthen connections.

Breaktime Tech Talks
Welcome to the Breaktime Tech Talks podcast! I'm your host Jennifer Reif, and I’m an avid developer and problem-solver.
This podcast is designed with bite-sized episodes that fit into the gaps of a busy developer's day. Want to catch tech news snippets, learn a technical tidbit, or hear about solving technical problems? Listen in and easily find what you heard later.
Happy coding!