Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
#VoxxedDaysCERN26
Search technology has evolved from matching words to understanding meaning. In this talk, we’ll unravel how this transformation happened, from the early days of sparse vector models like TF-IDF and BM25, which relied purely on keyword overlap, to today’s dense vector embeddings powered by neural networks and transformers. We’ll explore how semantic search captures context, relationships, and intent, allowing machines to “understand” language rather than just count words.
Using intuitive examples and visual demonstrations, we’ll demystify how embeddings represent meaning in high-dimensional space, how similarity is computed, and why this shift is revolutionizing information retrieval, recommendation, and question answering.
Attendees will leave with a clear conceptual map of how sparse and dense approaches differ, and how they can work together to build smarter, more intuitive search systems.
#VoxxedDaysCERN26
Search technology has evolved from matching words to understanding meaning. In this talk, we’ll unravel how this transformation happened, from the early days of sparse vector models like TF-IDF and BM25, which relied purely on keyword overlap, to today’s dense vector embeddings powered by neural networks and transformers. We’ll explore how semantic search captures context, relationships, and intent, allowing machines to “understand” language rather than just count words.
Using intuitive examples and visual demonstrations, we’ll demystify how embeddings represent meaning in high-dimensional space, how similarity is computed, and why this shift is revolutionizing information retrieval, recommendation, and question answering.
Attendees will leave with a clear conceptual map of how sparse and dense approaches differ, and how they can work together to build smarter, more intuitive search systems.
![[VDBUH2026] Julien Topçu - Hexagonal Architecture in Practice](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QZrl5tghsTA/mqdefault.jpg "[VDBUH2026] Julien Topçu - Hexagonal Architecture in Practice
There always comes a point where software becomes so complex and old that it becomes unmaintainable. Updating the technical stack without breaking everything becomes impossible, implementing new features takes longer, and the technical debt is so overwhelming that refactoring becomes exorbitant.
What if we told you that all of this is more of a practice problem than a software aging problem?
Come and discover through hands-on experience in this 100% live coding session how Hexagonal Architecture can tackle software complexity, making it possible for you to be adaptable and sustainable while helping you manage your technical debt more effectively.")
