14hrs 30ish minutes til the end peeps.
"The LHC is in the final stages of construction and commissioning, with some sections already being cooled down to their final operating temperature of approximately 2K(Kelvin units). The first beams are due for injection mid June 2008 with the first collisions planned to take place 2 months later.[1] The LHC will become the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator.[2] The LHC is being funded and built in collaboration with over two thousand physicists from thirty-four countries as well as hundreds of universities and laboratories."
In lamans terms (not really) this thing accelerates particles (protons) at super high velocities via super magnets inside a a large friggin vaccuum shaped like a hoola hoop, shooting millions of particles at eachother eventually colliding at the right vectors (velocity and direction) and creating a black hole or some other nasty ****...
The whole purpose of it is to test Stephen Hawking's theory of Hawking radiation, essentially this machine can create blackholes.
Creating a blackhole on earth is a pretty serious feat, and if modern physics holds up it will be created based entirely on theory.
They are also considering this machine to be the linking between alternate dimensions, as well as an unknown quite probable creation of dark matter which can't be good...
Essentially this machine can swallow up our earth if Hawking's theory proves incorrect.
Hawking radiation is the natural decay of a blackhole under ideal conditions (Vaccuum LHC).Unfortunately if this experiment is not pulled of flawlessly it could be the end of life as we know it.... Which is why its been delayed over and over due to stresses, it was actually set in this month to be conducted, but a few people are protesting with the earths interest in mind.
Wikipedia entry on the dark matter that could be created.
The collider is contained in a circular tunnel with a circumference of 27 kilometres (17 mi) at a depth ranging from 50 to 175 metres underground
Superconducting quadrupole electromagnets are used to direct the beams to four intersection points where interactions between protons will take place...
"The collider tunnel contains two pipes, each pipe containing a beam. The two beams travel in opposite directions around the ring. 1232 dipole magnets keep the beams on their circular path, while additional 392 quadrupole magnets are used to keep the beams focused, in order to maximize the chances of interaction between the particles (Hence collider) in the four intersection points"
Here is the countdown for when the LHC is finally activated http://www.lhcountdown.com/