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Staff Reporter

Here’s why DC’s tap water may smell and taste funny for a while

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The pipes undergo an annual chemical cleanse. Consider it your water system’s spring cleaning.

WASHINGTON — It’s an annual rite of spring. The cleaning of the pipes. And with it, that funky taste and smell from the water coming out of your faucet.

Each year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporarily switches the disinfectants it uses to clean the water distribution system served by the Washington Aqueduct. It’s considered an industry-standard practice, and there is no interruption in service. But the switch from chloramine to chlorine can slightly, but noticeably, alter the taste and smell of tap water.

The aqueduct serves thousands of customers in the District of Columbia, Arlington County and northeastern Fairfax County. This year, the cleaning procedure runs from March 21 through May 9.

To reduce the taste or smell of chlorine, DC Water offers some recommendations:

  • Run the cold water tap for two minutes. Run it for five to 10 minutes when water is not used for several hours.
  • Refrigerate cold tap water in an open pitcher. Within a few hours, the chlorine taste and odor will disappear.
  • Consider using a water filter. Some filters may reduce the chlorine taste and smell. DC Water recommends using pitcher-style filters or devices installed at the faucet.

Individuals and business owners who take special precautions to remove chloramine from tap water, such as dialysis centers and medical facilities, should take the same precautions during the temporary switch to chlorine. Most methods for removing chloramine from tap water are also effective in removing chlorine. Individuals with special health concerns should consult a health care provider.

RELATED: VERIFY: Where are the lead pipes in DC, Maryland and Virginia?

The Environmental Protection Agency regulates the safe use of both chloramine and chlorine. In addition, DC Water routinely collects and tests water samples to monitor for chloramine and chlorine levels throughout the city. You can view the latest test results here. 

RELATED: EPA director promises action on forever chemicals

According to Arlington County, the region’s drinking water continues to meet or exceed all safety standards established by the EPA and the Virginia Department of Health. For more information on Arlington County’s water system, you can visit the county website here.

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Do You Have Food Poisoning, Stomach Flu, or COVID-19

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If you are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, you may wonder if the cause is food poisoning, stomach flu, or COVID-19. These conditions share similar symptoms, though there are some key differences between them.

Read on to learn more about the symptoms of food poisoning, stomach flu, and COVID-19 and how to determine which condition you have. You’ll also learn how to treat each condition, when to seek medical care, and how to test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

To determine what is causing your gastrointestinal symptoms, it’s important to consider factors such as severity, accompanying symptoms, and possible causes. You may need to take a test to get a diagnosis.

Typical food poisoning symptoms

Eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, or parasites can cause food poisoning.

Symptoms can occur within a few hours, days, or weeks of consuming contaminated food. They tend to be more severe than symptoms of the stomach flu.

Common food poisoning symptoms include:

Usually, symptoms are mild to moderate and get better within a week, with or without treatment. However, severe and chronic (long-term) cases may require hospitalization.

Typical stomach flu symptoms

A viral infection causes the stomach flu, called viral gastroenteritis. Usually, symptoms occur 1 to 3 days after exposure to the virus and improve within 1 to 3 days.

Common symptoms of the stomach flu include:

As you can see, the stomach flu can give you many of the same symptoms as food poisoning, but with additional pain in the joints and muscles due to the viral infection.

Typical COVID-19 symptoms

People who develop COVID-19 from SARS-CoV-2 may have a wide variety of symptoms that are mild to severe. Usually, symptoms occur 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

Gastrointestinal symptoms often occur during the early phase of COVID-19. They may appear before respiratory symptoms. Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

Unlike food poisoning or the stomach flu, COVID-19 usually causes respiratory symptoms as well as gastrointestinal. If you’ve developed a cough or are experiencing a lack of taste or smell, it’s a good idea to speak with your doctor and get tested for SARS-CoV-2.

To treat mild to moderate food poisoning or stomach flu, there are several home remedies you can try.

Home remedies to treat food poisoning and stomach flu include:

  • Staying hydrated. Symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Consume plenty of water and beverages with electrolytes, such as coconut water, fruit juice, and sports drinks.
  • Using a heating pad. To alleviate abdominal pain and relax your stomach muscles, apply a heating pad to your stomach for 15 minutes at a time.
  • Consuming ginger and mint. Ginger and mint may help alleviate nausea. You can take the herbs in supplement form or drink them in tea.
  • Drinking herbal teas. Drink licorice, fennel, and chamomile tea to calm and soothe your stomach.

If you have symptoms of dehydration, severe symptoms, or symptoms that do not improve within a few days, visit a healthcare professional.

Symptoms of dehydration include:

  • decreased urination
  • dry mouth, lips, or throat
  • dizziness when standing
  • extreme thirst
  • fatigue

See a healthcare professional if you have severe symptoms such as:

  • bloody diarrhea
  • high fever (103°F or 39.4°C, or above)
  • frequent vomiting, which can cause dehydration
  • diarrhea that lasts longer than 3 days

If you’re concerned about visiting a doctor’s office or hospital due to the possibility of contracting SARS-CoV-2, you can take precautions to maximize your safety by:

  • wearing a mask
  • maintaining a distance of 6 feet
  • using hand sanitizer regularly
  • scheduling your appointment in the morning, since the waiting and exam rooms are likely to be the cleanest

Healthcare workers and staff are taking precautions as well, most of whom are fully vaccinated. Some precautions they may take include:

  • regularly cleaning and disinfecting clinics
  • spacing out appointments to minimize the number of people in the waiting room
  • giving you the option to skip the waiting room altogether
  • performing tests and other procedures in the exam room instead of having you visit multiple locations, in some cases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting tested if you experience COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with a person with COVID-19.

A rapid self-test involving a nasal swab will provide quick results. Laboratory tests involving saliva or a nasal swab provide results within 1 to 3 days. Usually, laboratory tests are more accurate than self-tests.

While you’re waiting for the results of your test, it’s a good idea to stay at home, both to quarantine and to take care of yourself. At-home treatments for COVID-19 are similar to treatments for other viruses and include:

  • getting plenty of rest
  • staying hydrated
  • taking prebiotics and probiotics to treat gastrointestinal symptoms
  • taking acetaminophen to alleviate headaches, body aches, and fever
  • applying an ice pack for 15 minutes at a time to reduce fever

Some symptoms of food poisoning, stomach flu, and COVID-19 are similar, which may make it tricky to determine which condition you have. In most cases, people can treat food poisoning or stomach flu by resting, staying hydrated, and using home remedies.

If your symptoms are severe or do not improve within a few days, make an appointment with a healthcare professional. They can provide you with an accurate diagnosis, determine if there are any underlying causes, and choose the best course of treatment.

If you think your symptoms are from COVID-19, follow the usual safety precautions and self-isolate. Take a test as soon as possible.

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Niosh offers free basic indoor air quality assessments for SMEs

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Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong

KUCHING (March 18): The Ministry of Human Resources, under its Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia (AKM) programme, is offering free Basic Indoor Air Quality Assessment to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The free service aims at improving ventilation at workplaces to curb the spread of Covid-19, and will be offered through the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh).

Niosh chairman Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong in a statement yesterday said the initiative will involve over 300 SMEs.

“The World Health Organisation has said that Omicron is capable of infecting faster than all previous variants.

“Therefore, proactive action needs to be taken by all business companies to help stop transmission,” he said.

According to him, Niosh technical specialists will conduct an initial inspection at the workplace.

Preliminary inspection reports at work and basic monitoring of indoor air quality will be provided with proposed improvements on how to improve indoor air quality, he said.

Ugak also acknowledged the SME sector as the backbone of Malaysia’s economy, and as such, the welfare of this group requires special attention.

SMEs are urged to contact Niosh to obtain the free service. Queries can be sent to [email protected].

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White House releases ventilation guidelines meant to address indoor Covid spread

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The White House on Thursday released new ventilation and air quality guidelines for schools, colleges and other building owners and operators in an effort to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading indoors.

The guidance comes as many restrictions, including mask mandates, were lifted in recent weeks across the country as cases and hospitalizations continue to decline nationwide. The so-called Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, part of the Biden administration’s new strategy for handling this phase of the Covid fight, addresses how improving indoor ventilation can help keep people safe — something many experts have been calling for throughout the pandemic.

The recommendations, published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, include creating an action plan to improve indoor air quality, optimizing fresh air ventilation, enhancing air filtration and engaging people in the community. In each of those four categories, the plan includes detailed steps for building operators to consider.

“Protecting our public health means improving our indoor air quality,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.

Some of the suggested measures are short-term improvements, such as using portable air cleaners in areas with poor air flow. Others require longer-term investments, including upgrading heating, venting and air conditioning, or HVAC, systems and installing extra ventilation.

The guide doesn’t address the cost of carrying out the upgrades, but a statement from the White House says funds from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan can help upgrade air quality in schools and public buildings.

Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, said in a tweet Thursday that the guidelines are an “important new effort” to improve indoor ventilation and air filtration. She added that improving air quality in buildings will also help prevent flu, asthma attacks and other viral respiratory infections.

She pointed out, however, that the plan does not provide technical assistance to help schools evaluate existing ventilation systems and apply for funds to make upgrades, and does not include help for individuals to make similar air quality improvements in their homes.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, praised the Biden administration’s focus on improving air quality in buildings.

“Glad to see the White House taking ventilation so seriously,” she tweeted Thursday. “Layered mitigation factors, including meaningful upgrades in ventilation have helped us enter this new phase of Covid. We must continue to invest in upgrades to keep our communities safe.”

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.

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The poorest of the world also suffer a lot of kitchen pollution — especially women

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Kitchens in low-income homes across major global cities are facing an unseen air pollution crisis, driven by fuel choices, poor ventilation, and the way food is cooked, among other factors, according to a new study. Researchers found that three-quarters of the kitchens in low-income homes in 12 cities are heavily polluted by cooking emissions, raising fears that the same thing could be affecting billions of people around the world.

Image credit: Michael Foley.

Globally, over four million people die prematurely from illnesses linked to indoor air pollution (IAP) from inefficient cooking practices — a strikingly large number for something so common. People spend about 80% of their time indoors, so managing IAP has become an essential need for protecting human health. It’s also a target included in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Evidence shows air pollutant concentrations in the indoor largely exceed those in the outdoor due to confined conditions, which leads to a 100-times higher chance of indoor pollutants infiltrating the lungs. Exposure to high levels of air pollution has been linked to numerous adverse health effects such as heart diseases and stroke.

For many low-income and middle-income countries, improving housing standards has become a priority to tackle air pollution, with studies showing a big increase in particulate matter. Efforts have included the use of improved cookstoves such as e-cookers and clean fuels as a way of preserving human health and the environment.  

Now, for the first time, researchers have carried out a global assessment to better understand exposure to particulate matter. Their study focused on a relatively small sample: 60 homes in 12 cities across four continents. They carried out PM monitoring to produce a comparable dataset, using a unified methodology.

“There’s a notable wealth divide when it comes to indoor air quality and also a gender divide, as women are typically disproportionately impacted by pollution caused by cooking, especially in the developing world. This problem must be addressed to improve health and equality,” Prashant Kumar, study author, said in a statement.

Cooking and air pollution

The worst air pollution levels were found in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where kitchens are generally small and people cook for long periods of time, in some cases frying food – the cooking activity that emits most polluting particles. On the other hand, the cleanest air of the surveyed sites was found in Medellin, Colombia, as kitchens are bigger and people use clean cooking fuels.

Image credit: The researchers.

Cooking on charcoal was found to cause the highest levels of kitchen pollution, over three times than when cooking with liquified petroleum gas (LPG). The cooking method also made a difference, as residents of Dhaka or Nairobi spent over 40% of their cooking time frying, while those in Cairo focused more on boiling and stewing food.

For the researchers, the best strategy to reduce air pollution exposure during cooking is to eliminate the emissions at the source, using sustainable means such as solar-driven stoves. However, as such a change would be gradual, they gave a list of recommendations that are based on the findings and therefore evidence-based.

For example, using extraction fans can reduce PM2.5 exposure by about 2.3 times compared with natural ventilation. Also, using cleaner cooking fuels such as natural gas or LNG instead of charcoal can make a big difference, as well as avoiding passive occupancy during cooking, minimizing cooking times, and rethinking cooking methods.

“Improving airflow, using cleaner fuels, filtering efficiency of cooking hoods, and frying less are all ways to reduce the pollution people breathe from cooking. Around the world, kitchens are often where people congregate, but these findings suggest that cooks should discourage family and friends from being around when they’re cooking,” Kuma concluded in a statement.

The study was published in the journal Environment International.

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Web extra: Dr. Celine Gounder on how political divisions shaped the U.S. COVID response

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Listen to our main hour reflecting on 2 years of COVID here.

Dr. Celine Gounder is a senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health at Kaiser Health News. She served on the Biden-Harris transition COVID-19 Advisory Board.

We reached out to Dr. Gounder to hear her thoughts on why the U.S. is still so bad at talking about the pandemic.

One of the reasons, she says, comes down to political division in this country, and how it coincided with the pandemic:

DR. CELINE GOUNDER: I think what had the most detrimental impact was the fact that COVID hit during a year of the presidential election. And we saw something similar play out during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Ebola hit in the middle of presidential elections in some of the West African countries. In West Africa, you had politicization of things like hand-washing and spraying chlorine to disinfect the homes of people where Ebola patients had died.

MEGHNA CHAKRABARTI: Dr. Gounder says that in West Africa, public health messaging and campaign messaging were often very tightly linked with one another.

GOUNDER: In Guinea, where I was working, you had members of the president’s party or supporters of the president going door to door to people’s homes, saying they were there to do Ebola related education. And they would go wearing these yellow T-shirts with the face of the president on their chests.

Now, imagine if somebody with a Biden-Harris t-shirt or a Trump MAGA red hat came to your door and said they were there to do health education about COVID. That was not well received. And I think unfortunately, some of the health education about COVID was seen as if it were coming from a certain party, and I think that created issues as well.

CHAKRABARTI: OK, so the politicization of COVID left a lot of people frustrated, regardless of what their own politics were. Some people felt COVID was being overblown. Others were frustrated by their fellow Americans not following the science. So Dr. Celine Gounder says that to address these beliefs, health care providers really need to approach conversations with patients with understanding and empathy. She recalled a conversation with one patient who was skeptical about COVID vaccines.

GOUNDER: Much of my conversation with her was just about what was it like being an older Black woman living in Baltimore during the pandemic. As somebody who myself has lived in Baltimore, I have witnessed firsthand some of the issues with race and racism in the city. And so I asked her, what had been her experience with the health care system in Baltimore? What had been her experience on the job? You know, what was her employer doing in terms of keeping employees safe during the pandemic? What did her work look like? How did it change?

Towards the end of a 45 minute conversation, she …  asked me, How did you get the vaccine? What was that like? How did you decide to get it? And then she thanked me for my time. And then one of her family members, I was connected to her by a family member of hers, who’s a friend of mine, texted me within the hour and said, What did you do? And I said, I don’t know. What did I do?

And he said she’s decided to get vaccinated. I think that’s an example of just showing that kind of curiosity, that desire to understand, people want to feel understood. I think that was the effective tool, not a coercive approach to trying to convince somebody.

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EPA issues new guidelines on air ventilation

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The White House released new guidelines for ventilation and air quality in schools, colleges and businesses Thursday.

It’s part of an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 indoors.

The EPA’s new recommendations call for the creation of a clean indoor air action plan, optimizing fresh air ventilation, enhancing air filtration, and conducting community engagement.

The EPA suggests hiring an HVAC expert to assess buildings, adding extra ventilation to “higher risk areas” like a nurse office, as well as opening windows and doors at opposite sides of a room to allow “cross-ventilation.”

It also suggests using portable air cleaners in areas with poor airflow.

In a statement, the agency said, “while the recommended actions cannot completely eliminate risks, they will reduce them.”

However, the EPA did not issue guidance on or address the cost of making the upgrades.

Experts have also pointed out the plan does not provide technical assistance to help schools carry out the improvements.

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This travel bottle has a multi-stage water purifier in its cap that kills germs, removes contaminants, and makes your water tasty

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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/waatr/worlds-first-4d-purification-system

A perfect companion to your camping trips, outdoor excursions, daily commute, or just your in-home hydration, the WAATR’s 4D Purification™ turns water from any source into safe, great-tasting water. The magic almost entirely lies in the bottle’s cap, which comes with its modular purification system that uses UV light to kill germs, and swappable filter cartridges that let you choose between regular pure water, pure water that’s been mineralized for great taste, or pure water that’s slightly alkaline to help you hydrate faster. Just push the cartridge of your choice into the bottle cap and the WAATR becomes a handy little travel bottle that gives you pure water no matter where you go.

Designer: Rakesh Guduru

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $99 ($10 off). Hurry, for a limited time only.

A winner of the TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year Award, the WAATR’s greatest innovation lies in its crown or its cap. Built into it is a multi-stage purification system that works in 3 dimensions (as the water passes through the filtration module), as well as the 4th dimension of time (since the Ultraviolet lights continue purifying the water the longer they’re on).

The dual UV lights automatically activate every hour, but can manually be toggled using a touch-activated button on the top, giving you the freshest drinking water ever. The UV lights run on an internal battery that can be charged by magnetically snapping the charging cable onto the contact points on the cap. RGB lighting around the edge of the cap lets you know when the battery’s full, or the UV purification status of your water, or just as a periodic reminder to stay hydrated.

In addition to the UV charging, the WAATR bottle also uses a set of interchangeable filters that let you choose the kind of drinking water you want. The state-of-the-art purification systems snap into the cap (right beside the UV module), and use a proprietary blend of coconut charcoal and ion-exchange resin to “super cleanse your water” while a 304 stainless steel mesh and ultrasonic non-woven cotton mesh trap any particles or contaminants.

The WAATR lid comes with three optional filter types to suit your needs – a Purist filter that gives you absolutely clear pure drinking water, the Alkaline filter which comes with an additional layer of Alkaline Zeolite that raises the pH of your tap water – which can often typically be less alkaline than recommended by the EPA guidelines.

A third Artesian filter uses an extra layer of natural minerals to make your water taste great while purifying it too. The filters also supply data to your smartphone, giving you an effective lab report of your drinking water (although it’s a paid service), and eventually letting you know when the filter needs replacing. Each disposable filter comes with a shelf life ranging between 30 to 60 days, although you could just as easily use the WAATR without the filter too, relying on just the UV purification system alone.

The WAATR bottle comes with a dual-walled container that works like a purifying thermos, letting you keep hot water hot, or allowing you to add ice cubes to your water to chill it down. The polished inner surface of the bottle helps effectively reflect the UV light to rapidly purify every molecule of water (and even obliterate the dormant germs in your ice cubes), while the exterior sports a powder-coating that feels luxurious to the touch, and comes in 3 sizes – a slimmer 25oz (740ml), an intermediary 32oz (946ml) or a larger 40oz (1180ml).

The purifier lids remain standard across all the WAATR bottles, with just the stainless steel bottle changing. The slimmest variant is narrow enough to easily slide into the bottle-holding mesh on your bags, and even though the larger bottles are wider in diameter, a robust loop around the lid lets you clip your WAATR bottle anywhere. The WAATR bottle (which has 6 color variants you can choose from too, and for $89 you get the bottle, the 3 filters, and a 10% lifetime discount on filters.

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $99 ($10 off). Raised over $100,000.

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Citing complexity, Matter smart home standard delayed again – Stacey on IoT

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The standards group behind the Matter smart home interoperability protocol has delayed the release of the Matter specification by three months, extending its release until the fall of this year. In a blog post, the Connectivity Standards Alliance explains that because there are so many interested parties, testing between all of them has become more complicated, and the organization has decided to add another testing event.

The news means the delay of Matter-certified products until at least the fall, and likely longer, especially for companies that have not been building products toward the spec from the beginning. As a consumer and journalist who has been telling everyone I know to wait until this summer to plan their smart home device purchases, this news is a bummer.

The Matter logo on a smart bulb. Image courtesy of the Connectivity Standards Association.

The longer Matter takes to get out, the more expectations consumers have about its effect, the more confident I am that implementing Matter will become both essential, and less beneficial for device makers.

Delays in Matter have been commonplace since the beginning. It was announced in Dec. 2019 as Project CHIP and the companies involved promised a standard in a year. This was crazy ambitious, especially after the pandemic hit. And yet, with every delay the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which is the organization behind Matter (and was formerly the Zigbee Alliance), touted that it was pulling together an ambitious effort and it was still one of the fastest and most comprehensive standards efforts out there.

At the time this was true, but two and half years later, the messaging has shifted. No longer content to tout its rapid-fire standard-setting activity, the CSA started talking about how many companies were participating and how it was going to release a complete software development kit, not just a written spec. Now, the messaging is focused on how many companies have gotten involved (more than 450 at the moment) and how the addition of more chip and OS providers has complicated the testing process.

This messaging is consistent across all of my conversations with people involved in the standard, so I believe their rationale for the delay. But this is a problem of the CSA’s own making in many respects.

When Project CHIP launched it promised a way to make the smart home interoperable. In 2019 consumers were struggling to figure out which light bulbs they might buy that would work with their respective light switches or digital assistants. Some products worked with Alexa, Google, or Samsung, and others were HomeKit certified.

Consumer confusion led to people ditching their smart home setups and returning products. This is why Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung decided to launch something to make the smart home “interoperable.” The idea immediately caught fire and many device makers, tech media and others jumped on the bandwagon.  I was one of them, and still have hopes that Matter will improve the smart home.

But the world has changed a lot since Dec. 2019.

Popular smart devices such as these cameras from Google are not part of the Matter specification. Image courtesy of Google.

The smart home is still a mess in 2022, but consumers kept buying connected devices and figuring out how to make them work. Climate change and the pandemic have changed the reason many people are investing in smart home products. Security and convenience are still important, but managing indoor air quality and helping remote parents age in place have also driven people to adopt smart home devices.

Big smart home players such as Google, Amazon, and Apple have continued to build out their ecosystems and add use cases for the smart home that go far beyond turning on a light with your voice.

These trends have helped make Matter less beneficial than it might have been two years ago. On one hand, I am awed by what people think Matter will do and am constantly reminding people that it won’t help them with the video cameras or video doorbells because a video interoperability standard is just too much, or that your appliances aren’t part of any Matter integration. On the other hand, I’m watching the big-name players that originally launched the standard, push their platforms far beyond turning on lights and into services tied to security, energy efficiency, and aging in place.

For consumers, Matter remains a holy grail that they hope will “fix” all of the difficulties they have with the smart home. But for the big smart home players, Matter is already in their rear-view mirror as they build services reliant on devices that aren’t even part of the Matter spec. This isn’t to say I think Matter is no longer important, but that any company betting on Matter as part of their business strategy needs to understand the role it’s likely to play.

Device makers have always faced a double-edged sword when it comes to Matter. For many stand-alone devices such as locks and light bulbs, Matter is an existential crisis, simply because it takes some of the smarts out of the hardware. Consumers who buy a Matter-certified lock will know it works with any Matter-certified digital assistant and other Matter-certified gear. So, for example, consumers no longer have to pick among the two or three locks that work with HomeKit, if they are an Apple user. They can instead choose from a bunch of Matter-certified locks. Device makers are reacting to this potential commodification with denial, weird additional features that require a consumer to download an app, and efforts to make specialized software features that set their products apart from the crowd.

I suspect most companies pursuing Matter are not fully aware of how quickly it could commoditize their business.

Schlage’s new Encode Plus lock support Apple’s HomeKey, which may have more relevance that eventual support for Matter. Image courtesy of Schlage.

And yes, even as CSA members work toward Matter, companies such as Apple are launching features such as HomeKey or HomeKit Secure Video, which create a new layer of services that require customer integrations that Matter was supposed to do away with. Another example might be Amazon’s Alexa Together service, which involves Echo devices and associated health products and sensors to help with aging in place. Matter doesn’t even support emerging device categories such as indoor air quality monitors or energy storage systems.

So even as we await the coming of the complete Matter standard in the fall, it feels like Matter will become the basic infrastructure underlying many smart home devices, but it’s also not going to deliver the smart home people are dreaming of today.

I’m still eager for the implementation, and can’t wait to get my questions about how it will work answered, but I’m also clear-eyed about how Matter ultimately fits into an intuitive smart home or a home with ambient intelligence. It will be essential, but it also will become commodity infrastructure, as opposed to a holy grail that will fix all problems.

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NASCAR Fantasy Rankings: DFS Picks on DraftKings for NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250 at Atlanta

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The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.

The DraftKings NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250 at Atlanta slate locks at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $80K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)

1. Noah Gragson ($10,700) — There is quite a bromance going on between Gragson and his new crew chief, Luke Lambert. These two are looking unstoppable and are the early Xfinity Series Championship favorites.

2. Justin Allgaier ($10,500) — Atlanta will likely be a plate track in the Cup Series. In the Xfinity Series with full horsepower and low downforce, the best car will win — JR Motorsports has the best cars.

3. Ty Gibbs ($10,100) — The JGR cars are good but are clearly behind the JRM cars. Gibbs may be at a disadvantage in terms of equipment, but this is a rare occasion when Gibbs is not at an experiential disadvantage because this track is brand new.

4. Josh Berry ($9,500) — Atlanta is a brand new intermediate track that everyone has to figure out. This is nothing new to Josh Berry. He may not have a lot of Xfinity experience, but he does have a lot of experience in learning tracks quickly, and without practice.

5. Daniel Hemric ($9,700) — Talent wise, Hemric has looked like one of the best drivers if not the best driver in the Xfinity Series. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell because the defending champ’s equipment is not on the level of JRM and JGR.

Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details!

6. Trevor Bayne ($9,900) — This could be the weekend where Trevor Bayne finally gets back to Victory Lane. In his first two races (Fontana and Phoenix), Bayne recorded a Real Rating of 0.92 in both races (my own statistical creation that weighs a driver’s average position along with the amount of laps led and laps driven inside the top 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 — a perfect score is 1.00).

7. AJ Allmendinger ($10,300) — There is one fact — not narrative but fact — to understand for Allmendinger: He is great in clean air but struggles mightily in dirty air. Allmendinger won at Atlanta in 2020, but that was a completely different race track.

8. Brandon Jones ($9,100) — This race has all of the signs of being filled with cautions and massive wrecks. When this is the case, it’s hard to believe that Jones avoids the chaos. If he keeps it clean, then he has a chance at winning — Jones had a 0.97 Real Rating last week.

9. Sam Mayer ($8,700) — Atlanta is a huge opportunity but still a significant challenge for Mayer. He has race winning equipment and his inexperience is marginal at this new track.

10. Ryan Sieg ($7,200) — At Fontana, Sieg had a top-10 driver rating. The next week at Las Vegas, Ty Gibbs wrecked him. At Phoenix, Sieg bounced back and recorded the 11th-best driver rating.

11. Brandon Brown ($7,900) — In three races this season, Brown has finished 10th, 11th and 13th. At Las Vegas, he finished 30th. What happened? It doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but if you watched the race, then you know he had to pit with a flat tire. He dropped from 8th to 35th and then the race went green for 80 laps. That is terrible timing.

12. Landon Cassill ($9,300) — Other than his car catching on fire at Fontana, this season could not be going any better for Cassill. He’s earned a top-10 driver rating in three of the four races. Unfortunately, it’s hard to put Cassill in DFS lineups. He is very similar to former Kaulig Racing driver, Justin Haley. He is solid in real life, but does not score enough fantasy points at his price level.

13. Bayley Currey ($5,300) — This price is insulting. Currey has a top-20 finish in three of the four races this season, and he’s recorded a top-20 driver rating in the last two races. He is at least $1,000 too cheap.

14. Jeffrey Earnhardt ($6,400) — With Earnhardt, it’s important to pay close attention to what car he is driving. Last week, he was in a Gase car, but this week, he is back with Sam Hunt Racing. This is top-10 equipment with a quality driver and top-20 equipment with Earnhardt driving.

15. Loris Hezemans ($4,900) — The European stock car racer has not been very impressive in his first several seasons. In his defense, he’s been driving terrible equipment. This weekend, he is in his best car yet. The RSS cars (Sieg) have been incredibly sporty this season.

Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $80K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

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