Social and Economic Technology - 1.1. Overview and aims
What is Secotek?
Secotek is a non commercially orientated system that uses affordable technology that could make a significant impact on the economy, employment, and well being of a rural area. It accepts the ideals of a rural community, and proposes an easy to use practical solution that if widely accepted could revolutionize existence in the countryside. It is principally a software innovation, using existing hardware that is already affordable and widely available. In order to be effective it is essential the software must be considered an integral part of a system that encompasses user education and support to use it.
Secotek is a direct approach at fulfilling all the aims of Objective 1 funding. Yet as it is neither directly a conventional community project nor a business proposition it does not pigeon hole' into an obvious category under the Objective 1 structure. It includes Technical innovations, but not ambitious ones. Yet it proposes the use of Technology to create a change in the deep rural countryside as significant as reversing the effects of the industrial revolution. This can only eventually be achieved with political support. Before it can get that far, much ground work needs to be done at a technical level.
Nothing similar has ever been attempted before.
At present Secotek is in proposal form only. In concept it is the application of technology specifically designed to revive the deep rural economy. Business wise, it is an attempt to create a 'backbone' upon which commercial enterprises may effectively function whilst being geographically scattered, balancing the disadvantage the countryside has experienced. This has little short term appeal to a typical business that has no problem getting employees to 'clock in' to a premise provided by them, as is conventional. For the concept to work, it must be directly sponsored and created by those directly interested by deep countryside life. If a way can be found to check the flow from the countryside, both as a daily commute and an emigration, most of the problems at the moment so perplexing, e.g. transport and village life, will be automatically addressed. The Secotek concept specifically addresses the problem of educating rural children, who are an integral part of rural culture. If the concept is successfully adopted, the returns on investment in terms of getting the countryside to work and solving its problems will be truly phenomenal. Yet, by its nature, it is not a project suitable for adoption by a company in need of a short term 'bottom line' return. A concept such as this must be 'free' and open, and regarded as a public service like hospitals, libraries, roads, and the various other more conventional business initiatives aimed at making the rural economy work.
The objective of the project is to make the use of technology as second nature to the rural community as at present they use the car and the television, and build an expectation of it being freely there like the road outside their house. Whilst this technology will be used directly organize and enhance social and cultural activities, as well as in the work place, the principle way leisure travel will be cut down is that people will no longer live where work dictates. The will instead let social considerations dictate their place of abode. In actual fact travel to the local village will become much more common place than now, despite the fact that the technology completely supports those who substantially wish to remain in their own country residence.
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