My first computer was a ZX81, but I think it was a custom build between my father, a carpenter, and my uncle, an electrician who fixed arcade games.
It was housed in a wooden case with a proper keyboard. The 16K RAM pack had been soldered on inside, so there was no case of it ever crashing due to a bad connection.
Simple black and white graphics with no sound. I loved it to bits.
I think the term life hack is ridiculous in itself. (Cue old man rant) In my day they were tips and advice. You’re not hacking anything. 😁