'We made a joke in the new Rocko special: 'It's genius, this plan of obsolescence.'' 'I have an outdated iPhone that I can't even get apps for anymore,' he said, laughing.

'And you fight against it, and you fight against it, but eventually you have to. 'Everyone's so used to doing it this way, that if you don't do it that way, you're out. But imagine being Rocko coming back into a world on technological rails after 20 years in space. Using the internet isn't a choice anymore, for example, which isn't something we think much about. Point being, the need we feel to assimilate into the mass adoption of structural technologies is more fundamental than pure cultural pressure. People tell him to take an Uber around, and are shocked when he says he can't. He told me about someone on the show's staff who doesn't drive and doesn't have a smartphone, both by choice, neither of which makes life in LA any easier. One thing that Murray said the special focuses on is how little freedom we have from the tech platforms we've all come to rely on. But with the announcement of the show at hand-in the spirit of questioning the convenience of technology, I'll admit that I wrote this on an ancient laptop I found under my bed at 1 AM after Joe, who generally avoids email, emailed me late last night to say the announcement was on for today-I figured it'd be fun to recount one of the most obvious challenges facing adding a new chapter to a show like 'Rocko': What would it actually be like for someone to greet the current modern world after 20 years removed in space? We spoke at length about the show and its view of 2016, which will be featured in an upcoming episode of our Radio Motherboard podcast. 'Some of the things that we're doing is just insane.' 'My work has always been to poke fun at where we are and hold up a mirror to where we are and see the insanity of it,' Murray told me. Rocko has always resonated as a character because he's always struggled with whether or not buying into the latest, shiniest thing-whether modern life, really-is actually worth it. Murray didn't want to give away much, but here's the gist: The special takes place in real time, with Rocko returning to the O-Town of 2016 after 20 years spent drifting about in space.

During a quick trip to NYC a few weeks ago, he invited me over to his hotel to chat about the show.

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