I'm guessing the `out` argument isn't used because that's how the original version had it, correct?  I really don't like having unused arguments or variables, they can be a source of bugs and confusing for others who read the code later.  Can we either

* Implement the `out` argument properly, or if that's out of scope for this PR
* remove `out` and add a `TODO FIXME` comment in the method's body?