So, I know a lot less about math than you do. However, I have been studying lately myself, and reading a lot of Martin Gardner and Serge Lang; Both of those

So, I know a lot less about math than you do. However, I have been studying lately myself, and reading a lot of Martin Gardner and Serge Lang; Both of those (and many of the other math types I read) seem to hold that making math practical can be useful... but it's not the point of learning math any more than learning how to spell correctly is the point of studying literature.