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.
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
Sep 13, 2024
Sep 13, 2024
8 min
I’m always refreshing my memory and learning new things. How to explain technical concepts to broader audiences, then a question from the community took me into the Java driver docs and entity mapping/OGMs.
Sep 6, 2024
Sep 6, 2024
9 min
Happy Fall! This week, we talk about confusion around GraphQL, GQL, and graph query languages. Then, I am excited to gear up for NODES 2024 by showcasing pre-conference workshops called Road to NODES!
Aug 30, 2024
Ep12: What is RAG + Case for Conferences
Aug 30, 2024
Aug 30, 2024
11 min
This week, we discuss retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and how it’s being used to improve responses (or prevent hallucinations) from an LLM. We also chat about an article on how tech conferences have changed and how you can still find value in speaking or attending, plus how to justify the benefits at your organization.
Aug 23, 2024
Aug 23, 2024
9 min
A recent blog post defines "knowledge graph", a term that has been around awhile and is part of many recent AI conversations. And then we chat about the DevUp conference I attended last week. Hopefully my thoughts will help you decide how to choose the best event for you.
Aug 16, 2024
Aug 16, 2024
7 min
With the amount of new information, sometimes it’s hard to review earlier concepts. In this episode, we explain what an embedding is and talk about aligning your prompt with your use case for improving LLM answers (example app code repository).
Aug 9, 2024
Aug 9, 2024
9 min
In preparing for the NODES 2024 conference, I’ll talk about how my colleague and I made scheduling easier by using Neo4j (a database). Spring AI also moved to a 1.0 milestone, and I’ll talk about the easier-than-expected migration (more in my related blog post).
Aug 2, 2024
Aug 2, 2024
8 min
Do you ever feel like some people have all the luck? Sometimes we need to see things in a new light to break through the barrier or overcome the obstacle. Plus, I took a look at a new-ish tool from Neo4j called the LLM Graph Builder. I’ll give a quick intro on that, plus what I’m doing with it and how it’s going.
Jul 26, 2024
Jul 26, 2024
8 min
I now have a code repository and blog post for Neo4j+Kubernetes. We also chat about another blog post on how to solve a deadlock with parallel relationship loading.
Jul 19, 2024
Jul 19, 2024
9 min
A few years ago, I built a website for my technical blog. Find out how I solved this year's bug. Through the process, we'll discuss git submodules and how to use them.
Jul 12, 2024
Ep5: What are vectors + KCDC Highlights
Jul 12, 2024
Jul 12, 2024
11 min
AI seems to be everywhere in the tech industry right now….but it comes with a lot of new technical jargon. Let's explain vectors - what they are and how they are being used in tech. Then, we’ll give a quick highlight and shout-out to the Kansas City Developer Conference.

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!









