def acquire_fake_data(number_of_points=1000):
    """
    This function generates some fake data and returns two channels of data
    in the form

    time_array, [channel1, channel2]
    """
    # time array
    t = _n.linspace(0,10,number_of_points)

    return(t, [_n.cos(t)*(1.0+0.2*_n.random.random(number_of_points)),
               _n.sin(t      +0.5*_n.random.random(number_of_points))])