the lasers that are dimming out
What are you using to power the lasers, the arduino or an external power supply? You should get one of these, they are called super batteries and they can keep a charge for a very long time. There are also 3 different sizes but the 1800 mAh should be more than enough for your project.
Since shipping will take a while and you need the power to finish you project, look around your house for a power adapter that can fit into the arduino power jack and be able to output 7 - 11 volts @ 600 mA - 1A. This should hold you over until you are able to get a proper power supply or that battery.
Also since the last time you posted, what have you changed in your code? Were you able to get the MAX7219 shift register?
Post your up-to-date code please.