As I read the new email, I gritted my teeth in frustration. My insides were churning with annoyance.

There's no need to meet in person, I said to myself. And, "every fucking week, to boot." There was a lot of cursing, but it was necessary at the time.

I had no one but myself to blame for my predicament. I had only lately begun consulting for a Silicon Valley tech firm. I won't identify any specific areas, but let's just say that search engines, internet advertising, and more may all benefit from the insights provided by pure mathematics. I wanted to get a grant from the IT giant because of...