Perhaps the next most famous geek behind his hero, Bill Gates, had a room full of feds chuckling today as he passed along his ideas for how to improve government through technology.

Geek Squad Founder Robert Stephens began his business with a bicycle and cell phone and was uber-inspired when “a geek became the world’s richest person.”

Speaking at a conference on federal technology and innovation at Warner Theater in Washington, D.C., Stephens said the future is not knowing, per se, but finding the answer. And while automation is cool, anticipation is better.

For example, caller ID and real time feeds have the power to predict problems and allow the ability to deliver solutions without requiring customers to initiate communication.

“This business failed because you had to call them,” he said while showing a slide of a Psychic Network ad with Gary Coleman that incited some hearty laughter. “Companies being psychic is where the future is going to go.”

Stephens, who’s also chief technology officer for Best Buy, also offered the following advice:

“What you want on your teams is healthy obsession without social bumbling,” he said. “You know how kids end up playing with the box as opposed to the toy that came in it? Larger companies are going to learn that as budgets get cut and resources are tight.”