[rayiner]

It's not just habit, writing is just easier on paper. The texture of the paper does two things while you're writing: provide continuous feedback and provide resistance. Delicate movements are a little bit easier when you have some resistance to work against. That's why steering wheels these days still have a lot of push back, even though they're electronic and could be designed to turn much more easily. Moreover, the feel of the pen moving across the textured paper gives the body an additional source of information about which direction the pen is moving in and how fast. This allows for more precise control versus just depending on sight and proprioception.

[stcredzero]

> That's why steering wheels these days still have a lot of push back, even though they're electronic

I thought power steering was still hydraulic. Are you saying we have "fly by wire" cars?

[rayiner]

Many popular cars have electric power steering (most new Toyotas, many Chevys, even some BMWs). A sensor monitors the position of the wheel and drives an electric motor to turn the wheels. They're not completely fly by wire, because the motor augments a traditional mechanical linkage, but that goes back to wanting to maintain the feel of mechanical steering (and also to provide redundancy).